Playground Love
by LaTerreAuxEtoiles
Summary: It wasn't until a random Wednesday three weeks before the end of her junior year that everything changed.
1. The Prologue

**Playground Love**

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She wasn't sure how she was handling the weight of it all. Most days, she felt like she was completely detached from everything: her family, school, even her friends, although the last one wasn't entirely her fault. Hanna didn't talk much anymore and Aria always seemed like she was a million miles away and Emily…Emily was just broken.

For two months, she had put herself in charge of keeping them all together. And for those two months, she'd been happy. Even though it was a lot to handle, she had at least been able to focus on the good things instead of letting herself get dragged into despair like the others. They had figured out who A was, Ali's killer was behind bars, her family had backed off, and she finally had Toby again.

Until she didn't. Exactly 61 days after the Masquerade Ball, he had come up to her with sad eyes and a look on his face she hadn't seen since they'd been broken up. Before he could open his mouth, she was sure that she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

He had told her that his family was moving, his parents sick of Rosewood and everything that went with it. His dad had gotten a job offer in a town an hour and a half away and their parents were jumping at the chance to leave. They thought it would be easier if there was a fresh start in a place where no one knew their history. He didn't want to go, but there was no way he could support himself alone if he stayed. Plus, Jenna needed him, especially since the surgery hadn't worked.

Jenna needed him. The words had resounded over and over inside of her head, each time making even less sense than the time before. She hadn't said anything when she'd heard him say that, feeling guilty about the possibility of making him feel guilty. But what about her? She needed him too. Instead, she chose to stay silent and not show that this was that last thing on a very long list that would make her fall apart. There was something inside of her that was jealous, angry that he was looking out for someone who he had a past with, someone she didn't really get along with, when he was supposed to belong with her. To her.

Another part of her was disappointed in herself for getting lulled into this false sense of security. It was like just because they had unmasked Mona, she had forgotten the years of extensive training she had undergone in the art of being suspicious and cautious of anything good that happened.

When she was finally able to stop vacillating between those two feelings, she found herself settling into a numb apathy she had never really felt before.

The night before Toby had left, they had laid on her bed for hours. The entire time, she couldn't stop thinking that this could be the last time he ever had his arms around her, the last time she ever felt his lips on her skin. He had whispered in her ear everything she meant to him, how much he loved her, how he would be back as soon as summer began. She had nodded absent-mindedly when he asked if she was sure she wanted to try the long distance thing, desperate to not be completely rid of him just yet. But she knew. It had been over the moment he told her. The only way they could have stayed together was if he had fought to remain in Rosewood instead of just blindly accepting command.

She wasn't surprised when he called her a month after leaving, right in the middle of April, to tell her about a great summer job opportunity he had found. The only downside was that he wouldn't be able to make it back to Rosewood as soon as he had originally planned. She knew her tone must have sounded off; it didn't take long for him to tell her to stop waiting for him. He didn't want to string her along any longer. It wasn't fair to her. He would try to make it back to see her but he didn't know when the job would end so he didn't want to make any promises.

She had briefly wondered if there was someone else. If that someone was Jenna. She didn't think so. She liked to think that she knew him well enough to be sure he wouldn't move on that quickly. In the end, he was probably just looking out for her, like he always did, and putting her best interests first. Still, the thought lingered in the back of her mind.

Just like that, she suddenly felt his absence from her life, in the process leaving her to become just like Hanna and Aria and Emily. Broken. She had thought as time went on, it would get better. And it had. For the others anyway. Because in the end, Hanna had Caleb and Aria had Ezra. Even Emily had her mom, who though she had been wary of Maya from the beginning, was doing everything she possibly could to get her daughter through the situation.

It was the nights that she spent alone that got to Spencer the most, and they were definitely a lot more common than the nights when she had company. Her parents had thrown themselves back into work, partly to escape the fact that she had been the center of another Rosewood scandal and partly because they didn't know how to handle this new, unfeeling daughter. Melissa had been so caught up in her pregnancy and school that she hadn't even had time to spare her a glance. Aria, Hanna and Emily all had so many of their own issues to work through that she couldn't see the reasoning behind burdening them with hers.

In all of the time she spent by herself, she had started to think about Alison a lot. Jason had given her yet another box of Ali's things, leading her to find a picture of the five of them on the playground when they were younger. They couldn't have been much older than eight or nine and they were grouped around the monkey bars, all of their heads thrown back in laughter. What stood out the most to her was how incredibly innocent they all looked. It was before stolen kisses and cheating parents and growing up before they should have.

It took finding the picture to remind Spencer that in the last two years, they had let their memories of Alison become twisted and intertwined with the blackmail and persecution A had been inflicting upon them. They had somehow forgotten that before Ali had disappeared and Aria had moved and Hanna had gotten popular, they had grown up together. They had been best friends, and even though Ali was a bully and took advantage of them and their secrets when they got older, they had all loved her and each other once.

Not long after finding the picture, she had found her way to that same playground while on her morning run. She had taken the time to sit on the structure, letting her legs hang next to the red slide that she remembered going down countless times in her childhood.

It became something of a tradition for her to go there over the next month. On any given day, that's where she could be found after school, just sitting. She didn't cry. She hadn't since the night they had found out Mona was A and Maya was dead, not even after Toby had gone. Instead of crying, she hid inside of her mind, inadvertently distancing herself from anything that had the potential to hurt her. She spent a large majority of her time trapped inside of her thoughts, unable to stop the endless loop of questions and memories going through her head.

There were days when she thought about what things would have been like if Alison had never gone missing. She wondered if they would even have stayed friends. She liked to think that Ali never would have let them go if she had lived. Other days she remembered everything that had happened on this playground. When they had started to get older, they would always sneak out of whosever house they were staying at to go there. Sometimes they would manage to get their hands on a bottle of something that tasted disgusting, passing it around until they felt dizzy and tried not to gag everytime they took a mouthful. They would usually end up talking about anything that crossed their minds: boys, school, their families. Their conversation would get more and more outrageous the longer they stayed. Eventually, it would get so late that it was early, and they would sneak back and crash into bed just as someone's parents were waking up to make them breakfast.

Things had been so much easier then. They hadn't had to worry about murderers and stalkers and secrets with the power to destroy everything. Going to the playground made her feel like the past three years had never happened. It was a way of feeling protected, even if there was nothing for her to really be protected from anymore.

In the years since they had first discovered the playground, it had become somewhat abandoned. There had been a brand new one built across town three summers ago that had two bigger slides and an extra set of swings. All of the kids from town had immediately flocked there instead of the old one, leaving it quiet and deserted anytime she wanted to visit. She knew it wasn't healthy for her to go there so often but the escape every day was the only thing keeping her going. At least if she was changing into one of those people who didn't do anything except sit by themselves all day, she had somewhere she could do it in private.

And so she went, day after day, falling into a depressing routine of never ending 'what ifs' and hours spent in silent contemplation. It wasn't until a random Wednesday three weeks before the end of her junior year that everything changed. Again.

She had accidentally fallen asleep on the hard brown plastic floor of the playground, her legs dangling off the edge next to a ladder. Her back hurt from a rough practice, prompting her to lay down and try to stretch it out. It was the warm spring air that must have made her drowsy. When she'd woken up, she had immediately realized that it was later than she normally stayed, the sun at a different point in the sky than she was used to. As she sat up slowly, groaning and knowing she was going to regret her nap later, she had seen a familiar figure walking towards her across the wood chips.

"Spencer?"

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**Aouther's Note: This is my first fanfic so I'm bit nervous about how it's going to turn out. It's going to be bumped to an M rating after this chapter and basically just be a lot of smut with something that loosely resembles a storyline. I hope you enjoy and review!**

**Also, I don't own Pretty Little Liars.**


	2. The Playground

"Spencer?"

She squinted her eyes against the glare of the sunlight. "Wren?" Of all the people who could have shown up there, he was the last one she would have thought of. "What are you doing here?" They hadn't seen each other since the night he had fixed her hand at the hospital. Every once in a while he would text her, asking how she was and if she needed anything, but she always had the same response. She was fine and no, but thank you. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he had picked up on her solitary attitude and was trying to give her as much space he he could. Of course, she had been grateful for the texts, but she hadn't realized how much she actually wanted to see him until that moment.

He stopped in front of her, his head tilted up at her and a smile on his face. "Your sister told me I might find you here." Spencer nodded. Melissa had seen her going down the path one day on her way to an appointment, and Spencer hadn't seen the point in lying about it. At first, it had made her a little worried to know that her sister knew about her secret spot, but then she had realized that the older girl probably didn't care enough to do anything about it. Despite that, she was a little bit confused as to why Melissa would have told Wren; she had to hate the idea of them being around each other.

"You should be proud of me. I actually worked up the nerve to knock on your front door today." As an after thought, he added, "And I wasn't drunk." Rubbing the back of his neck and glancing away from her quickly, he laughed. "Mostly because I saw neither of your parents were home. Of course, I didn't factor in the chance of Melissa being there." Spencer couldn't help but laugh with him, wondering how long it had been since she'd last smiled. Before Toby left?

"Mind if I join you?" His accent, paired with what she thought sounded like a little bit of nervousness, made the sentence run together, so it sounded like one long word to her as it came out of his mouth. He nodded towards the empty space next to her, waiting for her approval.

Nodding her head in agreement, Spencer watched as he climbed up the ladder and came to sit next to her. Their legs dangled over the side, occasionally bumping feet while neither of them said anything. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him looking at her, but a sense of shyness came over her, making her not want to acknowledge him.

"How have you been?" She shrugged at his questions, still unwilling to look at him. He knew all about A. Melissa had told him at one of her appointments, probably making it sound more like some sort of childish game than what it actually was, but he must have realized the gravity of the situation because he had texted her immediately to see if she was okay. There was a large part of her that was thankful that she didn't have to relive the experience in order to tell him. Then again, another part of her regretted not being able to explain the situation in its entirety. She wondered if he knew about Toby. It wouldn't surprise her if Melissa had felt the need to share that too.

"Honestly, I've been better." She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees and hugging them tightly to her chest as a a pregnant pause fell over the conversation. His head bobbed as he glanced away at the trees to their right before looking back at her.

"Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head, smiling bitterly. "Not really," she whispered. "But thank you." She saw him look away from her and immediately felt bad for shutting him out, once again. Her hand reached out, almost on its own, and settled lightly on top of his. There was only a second of hesitation before his hand flipped over so his palm was facing up, their fingers intertwining as she squeezed gently. His eyes traveled down and then back up to the side of her face. She gave him a small smile, the corners of her mouth curving up the tiniest bit. In that moment, she made the decision that if there was anybody who she was going to be able to talk to, it was Wren.

"I thought," she paused. "I thought everything would be okay by now." She cleared her throat before going on. "We dealt with A for months. It got to the point where I would have given anything just to find out who was after us and why. It completely took over our lives and I let myself get obsessed with the idea of knowing who it was until there wasn't any room in my head to think about anything else. But then I did know and that was almost worse than being in the dark."

"I was expecting there to be this moment...this moment of clarity when I finally figured it out but instead...all I felt was frozen. Like something had me stuck there. Most days I still feel stuck there. In that night." She bit her lip, pulling it into her mouth and keeping her eyes straight ahead. "We can finally stop looking over our shoulders now, waiting for something bad to happen, but it's almost like that doesn't matter because we're all just as miserable as we were before."

There was another beat in the conversation as she inhaled deeply. "I don't understand how anyone could do the things she did." Spencer faltered, still unable to say Mona's name aloud, a fact she hoped that no one else had noticed. "She was Hanna's friend. Towards the end, I was starting to believe that she was all of our friend. And friends aren't supposed to do that. They're not supposed to hold secrets against you and blackmail you and try to kill you." Her mind raced, the distinctions between Mona and Alison blurring slightly in her mind. "How can I trust anyone now? In my mind, everyone has some sort of alterior motive behind everything they do. No matter what I do, I can't get myself out of that mindset. And it's all because of her. Sometimes I wish that I, we had never met her. We all would have been so much better off."

They fell into silence again, the silence echoing after her rant. The feeling of holding Wren's hand was foreign, yet somehow completely right to her as she thought about how much she had just said. It was more than she had ever given on the situation to someone before. And he probably thought she was crazy because of the way she had just blurted it out. Her eyes stayed on their fingers twisted together, wondering what it meant, if it meant anything. Finally, he said, "I wish there was something I could do for you." His thumb brushed over her skin lightly, leaving a tingling trail trail behind it. If she wasn't mistaken, it almost seemed to her like he was at a loss for words. "Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be so sad," he whispered, still tracing her hand. She didn't answer, unsure of how to respond, but finally raising her eyes to meet his.

Wren may not have been a constant in her life for the last year, but when he had been around, he's always done or said exactly what she needed. He never seemed to want anything from her in return. Of course, he had a habit of kissing her at the most inconvenient times, like when he was engaged to her sister or when she had just broken up with her boyfriend, but there had never even been a tiny part of her that had wanted to stop him. Truth be told, every time he pulled away from her, she wanted to pull him back. There was just something about him that exuded innocence and safety to her. He simply wanted her to be okay and that in itself was a blessing.

A feeling began in her chest, urging her to be nearer to him, to show him how grateful she was towards him. There was only a moment of internal fight with herself before she gave in. She leaned over and brushed her lips against his, thinking about how the only other time she had initiated a kiss between them she had been drunk. At first, she was fearful at his lack of response, but then she felt the corners of his mouth tug up and his lips parted just enough for her to know she shouldn't stop.

There was also something about him that made Spencer want to kiss him. It could be the way he always happened to be there when she was at her most vulnerable. Or it could have been the way he was always smiling. She could count on one hand the number of times she had seen him look unhappy, and most of them had to do with Melissa. In the end, though, it was probably the way that he said her name that really got to her.

She was just so used to the way her parents called her with an underlying tone of expectancy and disappointment. Or the way her friends would whisper her name when something bad happened, like it was up to her to figure out what their next move was going to be. Or how when Melissa would say her name, it was always backed with spite and superiority and a little bit of hurt, which only led to Spencer feeling guiltier than she had before. Even Toby said her name like she walked on water, like she could do no wrong, which had been too much pressure for her to handle at times.

When Wren said her name, though, it just rolled off his tongue and made her feel simple. Like she wasn't Spencer Hastings, the field hockey captain and student council member with straight A's and dozens of other achievements wracked up over the years. She was just Spencer. She didn't have all of these people depending on her to be the best, expecting her to be the best. Wren made her feel like she could just be average and it wouldn't be the most terrible thing in the world.

She wasn't entirely sure what she felt for him. Not yet anyway. All she knew was that she missed him when he was gone, even if it was just in the back of her mind. The days that went by when they didn't have some sort of contact just felt heavier than the days that they did. And right at that moment, when she was kissing him and he was kissing her back, she felt lighter than she had in months.

It started off harmlessly enough, their lips meeting softly and their hands still linked on his leg. Ever since she had first met him, there had been something inside of her longing to just be able to be with him like that. To be able to kiss without the fear of getting caught or some other bad consequence of their actions. The night she had gone home with him, she had felt the beginning of something, only to be stopped by his unwillingness to take advantage of her. Even though she definitely wouldn't have seen it that way. But this was just as good as that night could have been. They were outside, kissing, and she could let herself believe for a little bit that they were actually together in a way that wasn't centered around broken relationships and secrecy.

Eventually, she felt his tongue brush against the inside of her bottom lip and opened her mouth to his, the tension between them changing as soon as his tongue brushed against hers. The feeling in her chest had spread to her stomach, telling her she needed to be even closer to Wren, always closer. Before she had time to think about it, she twisted her body and moved so that she was straddling him, her knees on either side of his hips and his hands on his neck. She felt him smiled into her mouth, his hands moving slowly so that they were resting on her sides. She could feel the hesitation in his movements and wanted to laugh at his sudden nervousness.

Their kisses deepened as she pressed her body against his and placed her hands on his face. In response, his fingers slipped under the bottom of her shirt and rubbed across the small of her back. The skin there ignited wherever he came in contact with it and she felt the faint beginning of a dull ache between her legs. She pressed her hips lightly into his, causing him to groan underneath of her and unintentionally spurring her desire for him. Unbuttoning his shirt swiftly, her fingers explored his chest, loving the added sensation of his skin on hers that she had only been able to experience for a brief minute before he had stopped her that night.

Her shirt had ridden up so until her stomach was exposed and his hands had followed its path. She tensed up slightly when she felt his fingers slide over the silky material of her bra, moaning quietly at the feeling of his hands touching her there for the first time. She could tell by how light his touch was that he was conflicted about how fast they were moving. Her feelings were the exact opposite as she thought about the fact that this was what she had been missing out on for the past year. There was no way she would have let him stop her that night at his house if she had realized how good it would feel.

They were both breathing hard as she kissed away from his mouth and to his neck, where she let her lips move over his skin. His hands hesitated as they moved to cup her breasts, making her moan again. She could tell he was waiting for her to put an end to what was going on. If only he knew that that was the furthest thing from her mind. If it was up to her, they would never stop. She had somehow gotten his shirt all the way unbuttoned and didn't waste any time in kissing her way down his chest and onto his stomach, her hands immediately going to his pants when she had pushed him back far enough.

"Spencer," he managed to say in a strangled tone. Her hands were at his belt buckle as she looked up at him. She didn't answer, instead just fiddling with the metal in her hands. "Spencer," he said again, this time a little bit more firmly.

He pulled her up so that they were face to face, kissing her swiftly and pushing her mouth open. Taking this as an invitation, her hands started to undo his buckle again, causing him pull away just as quickly as he had begun. "We can't do this."

Her eyebrows shot up as she stared at him in disbelief. "Here," he added hurriedly. "We can't do this here." He glanced around the playground and then back at her. "Kids come here." Her hands stopped their movement as she considered his statement. Finally, she looked at him seriously and leaned closer.

"Can we go to your place?" she asked, hoping he would understand what she was trying to say. They were going fast, much faster than she had ever gone with anyone else, but for once she was sick of worrying about consequences and just wanted to do what felt right.

She smiled a little bit when she felt the way his body froze at her words before he was nodding slowly. "Of course. I mean, if that's what you want." Her face moved even closer to his, until he felt her nose brush against his ear.

"That's exactly what I want." She grinned again when she heard him swallow. "Come on, let's go," she said, moving to stand up. His hands caught her hips, stopping her.

"Wait," he said, suddenly looking a little bit embarrassed. "We can't go just yet." She looked at him confused, then followed his glance down to the bulge in the front of his pants. "Just give me a minute," he continued, letting his head fall back before he added, "It might help if you weren't on top of me…" He trailed off.

She laughed awkwardly, feeling her face beginning to get red and letting her head fall against his chest to hide it. He laughed with her, moving so that his arms were wrapped loosely around her waist. Suddenly, she got an idea. Before he had time to stop her, she had undone his belt and managed to unbutton his pants as well.

"What are you doing?" he questioned loudly, grabbing both of her wrists to still her movements. "I thought we were going to go back to my house?" She smiled at him, her forehead meeting his as she pressed her nose against his. His hands loosened slightly.

"We are. I just thought I'd help you out a little bit before we went." She smiled, a little bit out of nervousness as she waited for him to answer. She pulled her hands away from his, her fingers slowly pulling down his zipper and her eyes watching for his reaction the entire time.

"Spencer…" he trailed off when her fingers slipped under the waistband of his boxers. "I don't want.." Her fingers brushed against him lightly, causing him to stop whatever he had been about to say. She watched as he debated with himself for a second, torn between being the gentleman he always was and being the guy she knew he had to be deep inside somewhere.

"I know," she answered. "But I want to." Tentatively, her hand wrapped around him. She watched as he squeezed his eyes shut, groaning at the contact. She had never done anything like that before but she already loved the effect she was having.

She used her other hand to push his boxers down until he was completely exposed beneath her. Her thumb passed over his tip, feeling the moisture already there. Even though she was inexperienced when it came to this sort of thing, she was guessing it wasn't going to take much work on her end. She tightened her grip, watching as his hips jerked slightly and his eyes flew open to meet hers. Experimentally, she slid her hands up then back down, analyzing the way he responded. His head hit the hard plastic floor of the playground, groaning lowly again as she continued to move her hand.

She could tell when he gave in completely to the feeling by the way his body loosened up. She quickly fell into a rhythm that felt right to her, pumping up and down while he panted under her. Each time she stroked him, he instinctively thrust into her hand, matching her speed. Every once in a while, she would slow down, loosening her grip and enjoying watching him squirm with impatience. Her thumb would periodically brush his tip again, never failing to make him moan.

Her own ache began to intensify just from seeing his reaction to her touching him. She loved that she actually had the power to make him feel like he was. Like she had thought when she had began, it wasn't long before she could tell he was close. His breathing sped up even more and the look on his face told her he was trying to hold on a little bit longer. She couldn't help but smirk as she tightened her hand and sped up even more. And then he was gone, shuddering underneath of her as the evidence spilled down her hand. He squirmed below her as he rode out the waves of his pleasure and she continued to move her hand, only slowing when she could tell he was beginning to come down.

It wasn't long before he struggled to sit up, resting his head against her neck and breathing shallowly. She smiled at the feel of his damp skin against hers, the way his hands settled more firmly than before on her still exposed sides. "Spencer." His voice was muffled against her neck before he pressed his lips against the skin there. She smiled again even though he couldn't see her and wiped her hand off on the material of his pants, fixing them and then buckling his belt for him. "Spencer," he repeated, trailing his lips across her neck before moving to look her in the eyes. "What, why...?" Her eyes stayed trained on his face as he struggled to get the words out. "Are you okay?"

She laughed, her hands resting on his legs. "Of course I am." His dark eyes looked at her suspiciously, not quite ready to believe her. "I mean, my wrist is a little sore but I imagine that's not an uncommon side effect." She trailed off when he started to laugh loudly. She had to laugh with him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer until their noses were almost touching.

He leaned in and kissed her gently. There was a still smile on his mouth and she grinned back at him as they looked at one another. Eventually, she pulled away, her eyes darting back and forth between his. "Can we leave now?" she questioned. He stared at her for a second before pulling her back towards him.

"Please?" He nodded, kissing the corner of her mouth before releasing her. She pressed her lips against his once more and stood up. She offered her hand down to help him up but as soon as her fingers were within reach of his, he grabbed her and pulled her down on top of him, quickly rolling so that their positions were reversed.

He looked down at her, capturing her mouth with his briefly. "I thought we were leaving?" she questioned, out of breath from the suddenness of his movements. She wasn't used to him being to forceful with her; every other time they had been together, he had been nothing but gentle towards her. He kissed her again, murmuring against her lips, "Or we could stay." He mouth brushed against her neck, making her sigh. "Then we could say the first time we were together was on a playground." She let out a short laugh, a little more breathless at his blatant acknowledgement of the fact that they were going to have sex.

His lips continued to move over her skin, making their way to her collarbone. She let him continue until she felt his hands slip under her shirt and move up her stomach. Her hands automatically went to his chest, gently pushing him away.

"Wait." She struggled to control her breathing, letting her head rest on the hard surface under her. "We can't do this here," she continued. "Kids come here." Her statement echoed his earlier one, making him laugh.

She looked at the way the sun was framing his head, the way his eyes were intently trained on her, the way his mouth curved on his face and the laugh lines on his face stood out more than usual. Her eyes darted to his lips, then back up, hoping he would get the message. Instead of kissing her, however, he just said, "I suppose you're right." His eyes traveled across her face, and she pressed her body against his.

Everything about this felt right. She felt happier than she had in months, and she couldn't believe that they were actually moving past the making out and then not seeing each other stage. Of course, she could spend the rest of the night at his house and then not see him until September, but she was choosing not to look at it that way. He would never do that to her and she knew it. That depended on them getting to his house in the first place, anyway.

She released him quickly, pushing his away from her so she could get up. She stood before he could stop her, stepping away so he couldn't grab her again. "Come on." He sat up and crossed his arms over his knees, shaking his head a little bit as he stared at her.

"What?" she demanded. He shook his head harder. "Nothing, nothing. You just never cease to amaze me." She faltered a little bit, stepping away from him again before smiling gently.

"Come on," she said with a little bit of a whine in her voice, hoping it would break him. When he still didn't move, she crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to glare at him. "Please?" He waited for another minute before standing up and walking over to the ladder without touching her. He climbed down easily, pausing at the bottom to look up at her.

"Coming?"

She nodded, copying his actions his actions and letting him wrap his arms around her waist and lift her to the ground when she was near the bottom. They started walking away, their hands automatically connecting as they left the playground behind.

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**A/N: It might take me awhile to update because I'm in the last couple of weeks of my semester. Please, please, please review and let me know what you think. That would definitely give me more motivation towards writing more and updating faster. Also, if you're at all interested in being a Beta for me, just message me! Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. The Beginning

By the time they got to his house, Wren's mind was so preoccupied with what had happened that he didn't even stop downstairs, instead leading Spencer by her hand to the couch and telling her he would be right back. There was a slightly embarrassing wet spot to the left of his zipper from where she had wiped her hand, and he didn't want her to think he was being presumptuous by leaving them on. If he did that, she would definitely think he was counting on taking them off soon. Which he sort of was, but he didn't want her to know that.

Before he was able to leave, she grabbed his hand and tugged him back towards her. She kissed him quickly enough that he didn't even have time to close his eyes before she was stepping away from him again with a shy smile on her face. He wasn't used to her looking so demure, but decided not to say anything about it right then. Instead, he brought his hand up to her head, cupping her face and running his thumb across her cheek before turning and taking the stairs two at a time.

Alone in his room, he had time to actually sort through his thoughts. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Like every other time he had been alone with Spencer and had the opportunity to kiss her, there was just something so surreal about the entire situation. In her room, outside the motel, in her living room, downstairs. Wherever they were, he had a hard time convincing himself that it wasn't a dream. And just like all of the other times, he couldn't get over how extremely lucky he was to be with her.

He got dressed quickly, throwing his dirty boxers and pants into his laundry basket and replacing them with clean ones. Just as he was about to go back to her, he paused in his doorway, allowing himself to bask in the reality of the day. Not only had he just made out with Spencer, but she had also gotten him off. On a playground. In the middle of the day. He shook his head in disbelief, unable to stop the slow grin from taking over his face. He definitely couldn't believe his luck.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, she was sitting on the arm of his couch with an open book on her lap. "Something caught your eye?" he asked. She turned around to face him and once again he was struck by how beautiful she was, her long hair falling halfway down her back and her lips pulled up in what he thought was another shy smile.

"Aristotle." She shrugged, biting her lip a little bit and causing him to grin again. He was almost positive that she was embarrassed about something and he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

"Ah, yes. Aristotle. He is quite the extraordinary gentleman." She laughed, letting the book fall shut as she looked at him. Neither of them wasted anymore time before beginning to speak.

"About before.."

"Spencer-"

They both stopped and laughed, waiting for the other to go on. It was finally Spencer who took a deep breath before she continued. "About before, I'm sorry if I seemed..." she trailed off, her eyes traveling around the room until she thought of the right word to use. "Forward."

Wren laughed loudly, walking over to her and sitting right next to her on the couch. He's been right in thinking she was embarrassed by what had happened. He pulled her off the arm so that she was sitting across his lap, the back of her ankles pressed against the side of his leg. "Forward?" His eyes searched her face, hoping she didn't regret it. "If you think that that would make me look at you differently, I can assure you it doesn't." He took in the feel of her body on his, wondering at the easy way they moved from the type of relationship where they were friend who had hooked up a couple of times to this. Whatever this was turning in. If it was turning into anything at all.

She shrugged, looking away from him. "I know. We've just never..." She trailed off again and Wren smiled at the fact that she had been at a loss for words over him twice in the last three minutes. "We haven't ever really... I'm sorry if I came off too strong. Sometimes I can be that way."

He smiled softly, moving his hand so that it rested on the top of her thigh. "I promise you, I won't hold it against you. I'll even go as far as to say I quite enjoyed myself." He had to force back a smile at the way her cheeks were beginning to flush at the memory. His hand moved to her face, his fingertips resting on her chin and turning her head so that she was looking at him. "Although, I would very much so like to return the favor."

She gave him a small smile, her eyes traveling down to his lips. He immediately leaned in to kiss her, easily pushing his tongue past her lips. Neither of them wasted any time. It was like they were making up for all the lost chances they had had to be together but never taken. Their mouths met and parted over and over, and before he knew it, she was completely on top of him, her legs on the outside of his. If there was one thing he had learned about her since he had walked up to her on that playground, it was that she moved fast. He was also sure that he would never get sick of the feeling of her weight over him, pressing him down as her hands moved across his body.

She shifted a little bit, her mouth moving away from his and attaching to his neck and he opened his eyes to see her pushing her hair back in the way that he loved. He had a little bit of an obsession with her hair, how long and dark it was and the way it contrasted with her pale skin, making her dark eyes stand out on her face. It had been one of the first things he'd noticed about her, and one he knew she had no idea the effect it had over him. He closed his eyes again, his hands running their way up her legs and under her shirt.

He didn't waste anytime in letting his hands explore her skin, picking up where they had left off earlier. Her hands were soon on his, urging him to take her shirt off until it was lifting over her head and being thrown across the room. He could feel her smiling as she went back to kissing his neck, sucking softly on his pulse point. Her new lack of clothes made him hesitate a tiny bit. There were things he wanted to do to her, places he wanted to touch her, but because of how entirely recent this development between them was, he was unsure how he should go about it.

Finally, he let his hands glide up her bare sides, moving so they were cupping her breasts lightly. His fingers brushed over her, causing her to moan quietly in the back of her throat. He felt the noise vibrate on his skin of his neck, smiling as he repeated his action and applied more pressure than before. This time she bit down on his skin, not hard, but forcefully enough that he could tell the effect he was having on her.

"Are you trying to claim me as yours?" He managed to ask her playfully.

She pulled away from him, smiling. Her face was flushed and her hair wildly framed her face. "Maybe," she answered coyly. Her eyes glanced down at his neck and then back to his face. "If I am?"

He shook his head, debating with himself and then deciding to just go for it. He suddenly grabbed her, pushing her backwards onto the cushions so she was underneath of him and they were laying flat on the couch. "Maybe I'll just have to repay you."

He pressed his lips against hers quickly, moving before she could respond. He kissed his way down her chest, until his mouth was on the swell of her breast. He didn't usually like to leave marks when he was with a girl, but with Spencer it was like he couldn't resist. There was no way he was going to let another guy even think he had a shot with her, especially after this.

Her chest rose as she sighed deeply and he had to smile at the way her hands were wound loosely through his hair. As his mouth and teeth moved over her skin, he let his hands travel down her body, running along her hips before finding their way to the button of her jeans. He undid it, yanking the zipper down before starting to tug them down her legs.

He let his mouth trail down to her stomach until he got her pants far enough down for her to be able to kick them off herself. Then he moved back up to kiss her mouth again. As her bare skin pressed against him, the disbelief to set in again. She was actually laying underneath of him, nothing but her bra and underwear separating her from him.

Soon, he felt her begin to unbutton his shirt, and he was struck by the deft way her hands maneuvered. Before he knew it, he was shirtless and she was leaning up from her position to kiss his chest. He took the opportunity to reach behind her and unhook her bra, sliding the straps off of her shoulders and down her arms.

It landed on the floor, somewhere among the wasteland of their other clothes, but he was too distracted to notice. He stared at her for a second, suddenly feeling like a teenage boy who had never seen a girl naked before. She stared back at him, her eyebrow cocked as she looked at his jeans and then back to his face. Finally, he pulled her up so they were face to face, kissing her roughly before standing up and unbuttoning his pants.

Just in his boxers, he let his eyes look at her fully for the first time. She was laying on the couch watching him, her eyes traveling up and down his body as he did the same to her. He noticed that she wasn't the type of girl who tried to cover herself up or fish for compliments the first time a guy saw her naked. Then again, he had never thought she would be.

"What are you waiting for?" she breathed out, her hands reaching out to grab the waistband of his boxers. He shook his head as she pulled him closer to her and then pushed them down. He kicked then off and quickly climbed back on top of her.

His mouth was immediately on her breast, pulling the hardened bud into his mouth while his hand rolled the other between his fingers. She started to breathe heavily underneath of him, her body instinctively rising up to press against his.

He could feel himself between her thighs, her underwear being the only thing that was keeping him from actually entering her. That thought alone pushed him dangerously close to the edge as he kissed his way across the valley of her breasts before attacking the other one with his mouth. Her pants quickly turned to moans when he teasingly pressed against her.

His hands moved down her body once again, wasting no time in pushing the thin material off of her hips and down her legs. She took care of the rest while his hand worked its way between her legs. She was almost ridiculously wet. He let his thumb gently graze over her clit, looking for her reaction. She moaned, louder than she had before, her hips shifting underneath of him.

He continued this for a moment, then moving his fingers so that they were at her entrance. He quickly slipped two fingers inside of her when suddenly she clenched her thighs around him. He immediately pulled his hand back, looking at her in concern. He was positive that that was the universal sign for 'stop.' She was looking down at him, her cheeks red. As soon as they made eye contact, she let her head fall back against the couch.

"I'm sorry."

He quickly moved up so that he was hovering over her. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked her, still confused by her reaction.

She shook her head, biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut. "No. I'm sorry. It's not you. I just..." She trailed off, her eyes conflicted as she stared at a blank spot on the wall. He looked at her hand as it came up to smooth her hair back again. It was trembling, not much but just slightly enough that he could tell.

Finally, she glanced at him, and the slightly wary, guilty look in her eyes was enough to confirm what he had already begun to guess at. He brought his hand up to rest on her waist.

"Spencer?" She looked at him but didn't say anything in return. "Have you ever...?"

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth again, shaking her head slightly. "And no one's ever...?" He glanced down her body, not knowing exactly how to phrase his question.

Her head shook again. "No."

His mind thought back to the afternoon. "And today, at the park, was that the first time you ever...?" She hesitated briefly before answering, "Yes."

His forehead wrinkled. "Really?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, her eyebrows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing!" He shook his head quickly, trying to undo what he had said. "I just meant...I didn't think you...You seemed like..." He trailed off, seeing that everything he said was making it worse. "You're just very good at acting like you know what you're doing."

She stared at him incredulously for a moment before smiling a little bit and shaking her head. "I guess you're right." Her head fell back against the couch as she let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin this by telling you. I thought if you knew, you wouldn't want to..."

He looked at her. "Spencer. There is nothing that could make me not want to. That's something I've wanted to do with you since the very first time I saw you." He grinned. "Being with you, like this, has preoccupied my mind more than I would care to admit." The corners of her mouth pulled up and he thought about what he had just said. "I guess that makes me a bit of a pervert, huh?"

She stared at him with a small smile on her face for a minute before kissing him gently. She pulled back quickly, though, and Wren looked down at her. "Of course it doesn't." She thought about it for another second and added playfully, "Well, maybe a little." She stopped, her hand running along his arm as he tried to think of a way to phrase his next question.

"Can I ask you something?"

She nodded in agreement, her eyes darting back and forth between his. "Why haven't you..."

She let out a short laugh, shrugging her shoulders in what he was guessing was an embarrassed way. "I don't know." For a minute, he thought that was all she was going to say on the matter, but then she continued. "I've never been with anyone long enough, I guess. Anytime I've ever been with someone, it's always ended before we could get there. I was always too busy with school and field hockey and everything else. I never really had that time to give to someone."

Wren let his head fall onto the couch behind him. "Not even with..." She looked away, her body tensing up immediately. "I'm sorry. I'm an ass. I don't know why I asked you that." He shook his head, burying his face in her neck and gripping her side a little more tightly.

"It's fine," she said slowly and he was shocked to hear her keep going. "We just always had so much between us. I mean we had history before we even started seeing each other. Not the good kind of history either. And in the end, I always felt it was too dangerous for anything like that to happen. Not when I felt like we were being watched constantly. Even after it was all over and we were back together, I could never get over that feeling."

He nodded, not really knowing what to say. They laid like that for awhile just being comfortable with each other. Eventually, she brushed her lips against his. "Can I ask you something now?"

Wren nodded immediately. "Of course."

She kissed him again. "Were you serious when you said there was nothing that could make you not want me? Because I would really like to..." Her sentence trailed off at the end.

He laughed, pressing his face into the side of her neck. "You certainly know what you want," he remarked. She laughed with him. "What can I say? It's how I was raised."

He laughed again, shaking his head. When he finally stopped chuckling, he pulled back to look down at her. "I wasn't lying when I said that. There is literally nothing that could change how much I want you. How desperate I am to be with you. But…" He paused, not sure how to continue without upsetting her. "It's not that…" He stopped again and pressed his lips against the skin below her ear to try and distract her. "We could have sex right now and I would probably be the happiest man in the world." His mouth moved so that it hovered over hers. "But I would also feel like the world's biggest scumbag." He brushed her lips gently, his eyes darting back and forth between hers. "In fact, I already feel a bit like a lowlife about asking you into my hotel room that night last year. And kissing you in your bedroom." He knew she would remember exactly what he was talking about. "I just always assumed you were experienced when it came to this sort of thing." He rushed on before she could protest. "Not because of the way you act or dress, but because you've always given off such an air of maturity that sometimes it slips my mind that you're only 17."

"18." He looked at her, confused by her answer. "Almost." She smiled up at him, embarrassed again. "I'll be 18 in August." He laughed, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"That's not almost. That's three months away," he murmured against her mouth.

She shrugged underneath of him, her hands loosely wrapping around his neck. "It's not that far." He could tell she was feeling nervous about something by the way her were refusing to meet his.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, shifting his body so that he was laying against the back of the couch but still partly on top of her. She mirrored him, turning her body so that they were facing each other while his hand absentmindedly traced patterns on her side.

Her head shook from side to side. "Nothing." He ducked his head so he could catch her eye, smiling before catching her mouth with his. They kissed languidly for a moment, moving closer so their bodies were pressed together. Finally, he pulled away from her, searching her face for any signs of discomfort.

"That's what's wrong." He just looked at her, confused, until she continued with a petulant tone in her voice. "Stop looking at me like I've never had sex before."

He got even more confused as an irritated look crossed her face. "But…"

She cut him off. "I know. I know I haven't. But since I met you, you have never once looked at me like that before. Like you could break me if you touch me the wrong way. I assure you that I'm not going to become hysterical if we make out. Just because I've never had sex before doesn't mean I can't handle it."

He laughed, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. Her entire body tensed up as she began to push herself away from him. "Are you laughing at me?" she demanded. He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, refusing to loosen his hold until she stopped struggling so much.

"Spencer, Spencer." He stopped until she looked at him. "First of all, I'm not laughing at you. I promise. You just sometimes catch me off guard with the things you say." Her body remained tense in his arms. "I apologize for treating you any differently. I didn't realize that it came off that way." She continued to glare at him, her eyes hard. "Will you please listen to me for a minute?"

She didn't answer him, but he felt her body relax a little bit and knew that she wouldn't try to get away from him again. His hand settled on he side where the indent of her waist curved up into her hip. For a second, he got lost in the way her body flowed from one place to another, bony but soft at the same time.

"This is something I want to make sure you won't regret."

Her face softened the tiniest bit as she looked at him. "Wren, I already told you that I don't regret anything that's ever happened between us. I know I probably should, but I don't. And there isn't anything that could possibly happen that I would regret."

Trailing lightly across her skin, his fingers began to trace a senseless pattern on her side once again. "I know that." His hand moved in larger loops, making goosebumps begin to pop up across her skin. He grinned before continuing, "But I also know that the first time you have sex is a lot different than any other time you will. And I'm not talking about trying to make it romantic and perfect and every teenage girl's dream because that's a tad unrealistic in my opinion."

She snorted, shaking her head in agreement and looking at him. "I just want you to be positive that being with me is something that you won't ever regret." Before she could cut in, he hurried on. "I know you don't think you will, but you can't be sure. I'm not saying we have to wait forever. I'm not even saying we have to wait until your birthday. I just want you to really think about it in a way that has nothing to do with the fact that we're both naked right now and came pretty close to it already. I think that when it happens, it happens. But it shouldn't happen right now."

She looked at him in a way that he knew she was analyzing everything he had just said. After a moment, she said, "So basically what you're saying it that we shouldn't rush it." When he nodded, she rolled her eyes. "You know you're being a girl right?" He laughed but didn't answer as she continued on. "So we should what? Get to know one another better?"

He laughed at the tone of irritation in her voice. "That's precisely what I'm saying. I should probably be something other than your sister's ex fiance to you before we get there."

She looked up at him sharply. "That's not what you are to me," she said and he could tell he had struck a nerve. Her hand settled on the side of his face as she continued. "You've never been that to me. You were engaged to my sister once, but that changed the night I caught you on the porch." He raised his eyebrow at her. "I think I knew then that we were never going to just be in-laws. I mean I never would have guessed that it would turn into this, but there was always more between us than just that." Her eyes flickered between his. "You're mine. You might have belonged to her before, but I hope you know you haven't in a very long time." He didn't say anything in response, not trusting himself to actually stick to the no sex yet rule after hearing the possessive edge in her voice. "Do you see me as your ex fiance's little sister?" she questioned suddenly.

He shook his head, the arm around her waist instinctively pulling her closer. "Most definitely not." He leaned forward so that their faces were together, only hesitating a second before kissing her. She kissed him back eagerly, her hands running over his shoulders and winding their way through his hair.

They continued to kiss, their tongues fighting each other for control until he finally gave up and decided to concentrate on other things. The hand that was on Spencer's side skimmed across her skin until reaching her breast. He deepened their kiss, shifting his weight so that he was mostly on top of her again.

Celebrating the fact that he hadn't managed to ruin things by putting his foot in his mouth, he allowed himself to be ecstatic at the fact that he was on top of her again. And the fact that she was actually a virgin. Not because he was one of those pig headed guys who liked to take girls' virginities, but because now he was positive that no one else had ever seen her like that or touched her the way he was touching her before.

His fingers grazed over her nipple, causing her breathe to catch in the back of her throat. He pulled away from her mouth, moving his lips until he found a spot along her jawline that made her moan quietly as she began to squirm underneath of him. While his hand and lips moved separately to get her worked up, he used his knees to gently push her legs apart.

He heard a confused noise come from her mouth but didn't acknowledge her, instead continuing his way down until his mouth was settling over her breast. His tongue flicked across the hardened bud there, making her let out a louder moan. Since his mouth had taken over, his hand worked its way down her body as well, passing between them until it was resting on her lower stomach.

"What…?" she gasped out as his teeth grazed her nipple. His hand inched lower, ghosting over her inner thigh and nudging her legs away from one another even more. His fingers brushed over her center, making her let out a strangled noise. "I thought…"

He repeated his action, looking up to see her mouth clamped and her eyes squeezed shut. Pulling his mouth away from her chest, he kissed her collarbone before asking, "You thought what?"

Her eyes opened slightly as her head tilted back, exposing her pale throat. One of his fingers lightly ran along her, causing her to shiver as she shook her head. "I thought...I thought we weren't going to…" she trailed off again, making him grin at the way her voice was even raspier than normal.

"We're not," he answered as he moved back to his previous position, swirling his tongue lightly around her nipple. He pushed her leg up so that her foot was flat on the couch and slid a finger over her clit. She sighed loudly as her hands reached down blindly to wrap around his neck. "That doesn't mean we can't do other things," he said, only pulling away for a second to move to the opposite side.

He rubbed her clit again, this time with his thumb and couldn't stop himself from grinning when she moaned loudly and pressed herself down into his hand. His index finger traced her opening lightly before slowly slipping it inside of her. He let her get used to the feeling for a minute before pressing against her wall gently.

"Wren," she breathed, making him grin at the tone in her voice. He had never heard anything sexier than the rough edge to everything she was saying. There was the beginning of a rhythm in his movements, a periodic in and out that made her slightly meet his thrusts by raising her hips. When he felt she was ready, he slipped a second finger inside of her, making sure to distract her by tugging her nipple into his mouth as he felt her stretch around him. She cried out softly, her back arching off the couch a little bit in her need to get closer to him.

As he quickened the movement of his hand, he pulled his mouth away from her and sat up a little so he could look at her. Her head was still thrown back, her hair fanned out around her and her eyes still shut. His eyes took in the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she fought to control her breathing, and the way she involuntarily bucked her hips whenever he variated his movements.

His thumb pressed more firmly onto her clit, circling it roughly until she was making desperate noises underneath of him. Just when she was about to come, he stopped his movements altogether, grinning at the way her head immediately snapped up so she could look at him. He took in the hazy look in her eyes and the way her chest and neck were flushed red.

"What are you doing?" she questioned breathlessly. He smirked down at her, letting his fingers curl a tiny bit inside of her. When he didn't answer her, he could see that she was beginning to get impatient. "Wren." she half questioned, had demanded. Without saying anything, he kissed her forcefully, pushing her back down onto the couch and beginning to pump his fingers inside of her again.

She tried to kiss him back, but it was obvious that she was having a hard time concentrating. He kept kissing her anyway, pulling her bottom lips between his and tugging gently. She moaned, her fingers winding their way though his hair and pulling as he worked her up to the edge. He pressed down harder on her clit again, rubbing it until she was gone.

She cried out into his mouth, her back arching up off of the couch and her hands gripping the back of his head roughly. He felt the way her walls were contracted around his fingers and the way her thighs had began to jerk against body and wondered how he was actually managing to hold himself together when she was in this state.

He kept the steady pace of his movements, making sure that she came as hard as he could make her. Eventually, he noticed she was beginning to come down. She panted as she settled back against the couch, her hands loosening their hold. At the same time, he slowed his hand down, eventually stopping his thumb altogether. Her head was resting on the couch again as tried to pull herself back together. He grinned, kissing her collarbone before slipping his fingers out of her.

"Oh, my god," she muttered, her voice shaky as she tried to catch her breath. "That was…" She shook her head, closing her eyes and throwing her arm over her face as he laughed. He kissed her neck lightly, watching the way she shivered at his close proximity. "You're…" She shook her head again, pressing her entire body closer to his.

She finally pulled her head up, meeting his eyes and smiling shyly. "Why do you do that?" he questioned, running his thumb over her lips. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion and he couldn't help but run his fingers over the area until it smoothed back out.

"Do what?" Her eyes were bright as she looked up at him.

He grinned and said, "You keep looking at me like you're embarrassed about something." She shrugged, smiling a little bit as her cheeks began to get red. He laughed at her reaction. "Let it be known that the only time you will see Spencer Hastings bashful is after her hand has been down your pants and you've seen her naked."

She gaped at him, smacking his chest even as she started laughing with him. "I can't believe you just said that! I'm not embarrassed," she proclaimed loudly. He shot her a look telling her he thought otherwise and she laughed again. "It's not my fault," she amended. "I can't help it." His eyes took in the sight of her below him and he realized that they had never once laughed together like this. Loudly and with nothing else to worry about but each other.

"I guess I just get worried about doing something wrong." She gave a half-hearted shrug and let her head fall back, still laughing a little bit.

"That's not something you'll ever have to worry about." He rolled sideways again so that he wasn't completely on top of her anymore. "You were fantastic. You'll always be fantastic. At whatever you do, I'm sure. You are a Hastings after all." He added the last part with a teasing tone in his voice.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and laughing. Suddenly, she got serious and looked at him. "Make a deal with me."

He looked at her suspiciously for a second. "What does it entail? Are you trying to trick me so you can take advantage of me?"

She smiled, pushing his should gently. "Stop. I'm being serious." He nodded. "Okay. I'm all ears."

"I will try my very hardest to not be embarrasses about anything as long as you don't treat me like a virgin."

He didn't say anything right away, instead pretending he was thinking about it. Finally, when he could tell she was getting frustrated by his lack of response, he nodded. "I suppose I could agree to that."

She continued to look at him with a stern expression. "Promise?"

He nodded right away. "Of course."

She finally smiled. "Good." They kissed briefly, and then she was somehow maneuvering them both until she was sitting on top of him, giving him an entirely new view of her body. "What are you doing?"

She grinned again, glancing down before looking at him with a look in her eyes saying she was up to something. "I think there's a problem you need taken care of." And he did indeed. He had been trying to ignore it ever since he had decided they weren't going to have sex, but it was starting to become painful for him.

"And I sort of wanted to help you out with it before I have to go."

"Go?" he questioned.

She smiled. "Yes. Go. I have school tomorrow."

"Stay." As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw her falter. Still, he didn't take it back. "Spend the night here. I can take you to school in the morning."

Her forehead creased, and he wished that he was in a position to smooth her skin again. He hated when she looked so conflicted like that. "I don't have any clothes."

"Get one of your friends to bring you something."

He could see her turning the choice over in her head, thinking and rethinking it before she made a decision.

"Spencer," he called softly. Her eyes went down to meet his. "Stop overanalyzing it." He could tell that part of her wanted to be offended by what he had said, but she still knew that he was right. After what seemed like forever, she finally nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay?" A part of him hadn't expected her to agree. Sleeping out on a school night didn't really seem like her. But he wasn't about to bring that up.

She nodded again, grinning down at him. "Emily will have something I can wear. I just have to text my mom and tell her I'm staying at someone's house. Probably Aria's." She was almost talking to herself, her eyes distant as she mapped out her plan in her head.

He nodded, sitting up and kissing her happily. She kissed him back for a little bit before putting her hand on his chest and pushing him backwards.

"Lay back down," she commanded. He hesitated. "Spencer…"

"Excuse me," she said sternly. "I'm pretty sure we just made a deal." When he didn't answer, she continued, "You promised." He thought about it for a second before laying down.

"I think you're the only guy in the world who would actually protest this anyway," she muttered, lightly scratching her nails over his upper thigh. "Plus, you act like we didn't just do this a couple hours ago." Her hands moved higher, making his laugh come out strangled. He saw her grin and then squeezed his eyes shut. Things were definitely going to be different for him from now on.

* * *

**A/N: So here's the new chapter. Sorry it takes me so long to update. This has literally been the craziest couple of weeks. I would greatly appreciate it if you could review. Feedback always helps me to write better. **


	4. The Call

The next morning, Spencer was awake forty-four minutes before her alarm was set to go off. She was curled on her side, knees pointing towards Wren, who was on his stomach next to her, their bodies instinctively turned to one another. For a moment, she let herself look at him, taking in the way he still seemed to be smiling in his sleep and the way the lines on his face that were there in the day had smoothed themselves out.

Her mind began to wander back to the previous day. They had stayed up late, laying with each other on the couch. Sometimes they had talked. Sometimes they had kissed. Sometimes they had done other stuff. The subject of sex hadn't come up again, even as they continued to explore each other's bodies. But eventually, Spencer had yawned and Wren had decided they should go to sleep.

She'd hastily pulled his shirt and her underwear on before they went upstairs; she was too tired to actually look for the rest of her clothes. It should have been more awkward than it was, sleeping in the same bed with him. She wasn't used to being next to someone at night, and thought she would be overly conscious of him the entire time. To her surprise, she had fallen asleep almost immediately, only waking up in the morning to see him still next to her.

She trailed her finger down Wren's arm, not wanting to be the only one awake. When he didn't stir, she kissed his shoulder softly, hoping that the sensation would wake him. Still having no luck, she moved so that she was sitting on top of him, her legs on either side of his body.

He groaned underneath of her, moving so that the side of his face was pressed against the mattress. "Spencer?" he questioned sleepily.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?" She shrugged in response, even though she knew he couldn't see her. She ran her fingers down his back, brushing them lightly over the faint freckles on his skin.

"I don't usually sleep in this late," she said.

He lifted his head and squinted at the clock on his bedside table. "Spencer, it's 5:32 in the morning."

She shrugged again, smiling as she traced his muscles with her index finger. "I know that. I usually wake up at 5 so I can go for a run and shower before school." He groaned underneath of her, burying his head into the pillows. "Just because you convinced me to set the alarm for 6:15 today doesn't mean my body was actually going to let me sleep that late. I have a routine."

There was no answer and she grinned, leaning over to press her lips against his skin. "What can we do?" she asked loudly. He shook his head, pulling a pillow over his ears. "Sleep," she heard him call out in a muffled voice.

She laughed and began kneading his skin with her fingers. "But I'm bored. And since I woke up early, I was thinking maybe we could do something before I have to start getting ready…" Her sentence trailed off suggestively.

"I would love that. Just let me go back to sleep for a little bit longer." When she didn't answer him, he tacked on a desperate, "Please?" at the end.

She bounced up and down lightly. "Come on! Just get up. There are so many more productive things we could be doing right now."

"Like what?" he mumbled from beneath his cover.

"I don't know. Anything," she responded as she grabbed the pillow and pulled it away from him. She leaned down to the side of his neck. "What do you want to do?"

He snorted, shaking his head once again. "You're not going to leave me alone until we do something, are you?" She shook her head, biting her lip hopefully. "I think I have an idea then." He paused for a moment and then moved quickly, flipping them both over so he was on top of her.

She gasped quietly, her eyes wide at the sudden movement and her breathing a little faster. Her surprise didn't last long, and quickly enough she was smirking up at him. "What's your idea?" Wren didn't answer, instead just pressing his lips against her collarbone. She grinned, hoping that he had the same kind of thing on his mind as she did. It seemed like she was developing a problem. If this was how she was going to be after yesterday, she couldn't even imagine what she would be like once they actually started to have sex.

"Can I ask you something?"

Spencer nodded, sighing as his lips moved to the hollow of her throat. "You said yesterday that there was a lot of things you hadn't done before then, right?" She nodded, wondering where he was going with this line of question. "So was that the first time you ever had a...?"

She was unsure if she should answer or not. Finally, she decided that honesty was going to be the best way to go with him. "Yes," she whispered, hoping he wouldn't stop kissing her. She sighed in relief when he moved the the other side of her face, his lips right below her ear.

"You never tried to do it yourself?"

She placed her hand on his back, lightly scratching her nails across his bare skin and trying hard to fight the feeling of embarrassment. "I didn't say that," she answered quietly. He paused, looking up at her expectantly. She shrugged, laughing awkwardly and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I tried. I've actually tried a few times." She swallowed and looked away from him. "It just never felt right." She thought about it for a moment before continuing, "At least not as right as it feels with you."

She laughed again, trying to lighten the mood a little bit as he looked at her intently. He laughed with her, his hands working to unbutton her shirt until it was gaping open on her body. Her legs were stretched out on the bed, held down by his body.

He pressed his lips against her throat again before kissing his way down her torso. He left a wet trail on her stomach, and she could tell he was trying to be as attentive as he could to her. His lips were gentle, only stopping at her belly button to swirl his tongue before continuing his journey. He had inched his way down her body until his face was level with her hips.

"There's something I want to do." She looked at him uncertainly, suddenly understanding what he was saying but not knowing how she felt about it. It was something she had never had any particular interest in before and if anyone else had brought it up she probably would have felt extremely uncomfortable. But this was Wren.

He kissed one of her hip bones and then the other, looking up at her when he was done. "You don't have to say yes," he said, but she could tell from the look on his face that he wanted her to. His fingers toyed with the elastic of her underwear, running along the sensitive skin underneath.

She pulled her legs up, pushing him to one side so that her feet were flat on the bed, her knees leaned against one another next to his head. She pulled her lip between her teeth, debating whether or not this was something she wanted. She thought back to the previous day and night, remembering how spontaneous she had been and how happy it had made her. How happy he had made her. She let her knees fall apart.

He grinned, quickly sitting up to kiss her mouth and push her backwards onto the bed. She let him, giggling nervously as he ghosted over the only ticklish spot on her body, the area near her right ribs. She felt him grab her underwear and lifted her hips to allow him to pull them off.

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips anxiously as she leaned up on her elbows to see what he was doing. He shot a crooked smile up at her before placing a kiss on both of her hip bones again. And then he was gently nudging her knees even farther apart, settling his body in between them. He pressed his lips against the inside of one of her thighs, causing her to inhale sharply.

"If you want me to stop, just…" He stopped when he saw the stern look on her face. She had cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering if he was actually going to hold to their agreement or not. To her relief, he just shot her a smile and lowered to her thigh again.

As he continued to suck on the spot, she let her head fall back, loving the feeling of his mouth as he alternately nipped and licked the her skin there. Occasionally, he would move his mouth to a new spot, spending equal amounts of time on each area.

He stopped gradually, making his way upward a little bit more until she could feel his breathe against her. The feeling made her shiver, and she lifted her head up enough to see him smirk. And then his tongue swept up her entire length and she couldn't even hold her head up anymore.

"Oh. My. God," she breathed as he did it again. She couldn't remember for the life of her what had made her hesitate to say yes in the first place. His tongue moved slowly at first, but forcefully enough that every time he passed over her clit, she jerked a little bit.

Her body fell back completely, eagerly anticipating whatever he was going to do to her. She felt him push his arms under her legs, wrapping them up so that his hands lay flat on her stomach. He pulled her closer to him, pressing her hips down at the same time.

As soon as his tongue made contact again, she moaned loudly, squeezing her eyes shut at the feeling. He licked her slowly twice more, and then dipped his tongue into her entrance. She shuddered, clenching her fingers in his hair.

He swirled around her clit, the cool air causing her to shiver every time it hit an area his tongue had just left. She tightened her grip on his hair as he increased the pressure slightly, but then let go as he pulled away. He turned his attention to her legs again, kissing the inner thigh he had neglected before and beginning to nip at her a little bit.

As much as she loved the way he was trying to slowly work her up, she was already starting to get impatient. She didn't have the self control to wait him out. So she nudged him with one of her legs, knowing without looking that he was probably smirking up at her. She felt him shift back, prepared for the feel of his tongue against her. Instead, she felt his lips actually circle her clit and begin sucking gently. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been that.

She couldn't control the noise that came out of her mouth. Somewhere between a moan and a cry, she was positive that it was something that would normally embarrass her. But right now, when he had her inside of his mouth, she really didn't care.

His tongue flicked across her once, and then again, making her moan louder. He then picked up speed, flicking back and forth at a steady pace. She panted above him, saying, "Oh, god" quietly to herself over and over again. She shifted restlessly, unable to stay still when she felt herself beginning to come apart. Her entire body felt hot, like when she laid out in the sun for too long. He slowed a little, letting her catch her breath as he once again moved to her thighs. As he slowly tortured the skin there, she had the chance to regain her breathe again. But not for long.

Because then he was back on her again, his tongue flicking rapidly over her making her back lift off the bed. He pressed down on her hips, not letting her go too far. She groaned, pulling her hand back to push her hair out of her face. "Wren," she half whispered, half moaned. He didn't answer her, instead moving his tongue into her entrance again and curling it inside of her.

She moaned, her stomach moving up and down rapidly and her body twisting instinctively. She was glad he was holding onto her. She breathed heavily, loving the way it felt but also a little scared of how out of control she was beginning to feel. He swirled around her clit once, twice and then attached his mouth to her again.

He pulled one hand away from her hip, quickly pushing it between her legs and slipping two fingers inside of her. She winced a little bit; she hadn't realized she was a little sore from the previous day. Noticing her reaction, he paused to look up at her.

"Don't stop!" she practically yelled at him. She heard him laugh before continuing. His fingers curled inside of her, gently enough that she could tell she had scared him when he'd first done it. They moved in and out in time with the rhythm of his tongue, gradually picking up speed and force. She pulled her hands above her head, not knowing what to do with them as she pushed her hair carelessly out of her face before slamming them back down to grip the sheets. Her fingers twisted the material into her palms.

The way his tongue was moving, combined with the way he was sucking, were pushing her dangerously close. Even though this was something new for her, it wasn't hard for her to figure out when it was about to happen. She was right on the edge when he stopped his movements completely. "Spencer." She didn't answer, instead choosing to ignore him in the hopes that he would start again. "Spencer." She didn't want to but his fingers were too still inside of her and his mouth wasn't anywhere near her anymore and she was beginning to feel desperate.

She sat up quickly, glaring at him. "What?" she said impatiently. He stared up at her, a sly smile on his face.

"Look at me." She looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she questioned breathlessly.

"I mean look at me." He didn't break eye contact with her. "Okay?"

She nodded slowly, unsure about the command. But then he was lowering his head and she forgot to care. He glanced up to make sure she was watching, before starting again. And he had been right in telling her to watch. It was incredibly hot to see him do those things to her. She noticed there were already little marks popping up all over her inner thighs, giving her a satisfied feeling.

His fingers pumped in and out of her, shiny with wetness. She licked her lips impatiently, wanted more than anything to throw her head back, but unable to tear her eyes away at the same time. His other hand on her stomach moved up and down with her breathing, which was erratic and deep.

He slowed his actions again, pulling his hand away and replacing it with his tongue. She almost cried in frustration. "Wren," she whined. He glanced up at her smirking. She faltered for a moment, the combination of seeing his tongue enter her and feeling it making her ache even more than before.

"Please, Wren," she begged. "I can't, I can't…" She didn't finish, unable to form a coherent thought as his thumb brushed her swollen bid. She kept her gaze down, waiting for the moment he would continue. When he showed no move to, she squeezed her knees around him impatiently. "Wren!"

He grinned at her, making sure not to break eye contact with her as he slowly took her clit into his mouth. His fingers wandered back to their original position, and then he was moving with a much greater intensity. He began doing something different with his tongue, moving it or something else that she couldn't comprehend.

His eyes left hers, and she finally couldn't hold herself up anymore. She flopped back against the the sheets. She grasped them tightly between her fingers again, moans spilling out from her lips rapidly. Her breathing picked up even more, and she recognized the tensing in her thighs before it actually happened.

He sucked harder, letting his teeth scrape lightly over her as his fingers pushed deeper inside of her. And then she was gone, her toes curling and her eyes rolling back in her head. She heard her high pitched moaning and couldn't make herself care. Her thigh muscles twitched and jerked as he continued moving against her.

There wasn't any part of her that wanted to try and control herself. Her legs began to squeeze together to increase the friction, almost of their own accord, as she twisted onto her side. She felt his free hand holding her in place, keeping her hips pinned down so she couldn't actually move her lower half. Not that she was sure she could even if he did release her.

As his hand slowed down, his tongue still moved, going from a steady flicking to a lighter circling. Finally, she felt herself coming down, her body relaxing against the bed. When he pulled away from her, she reached out blindly for him, finding his hand and pulling him up to her level.

She opened her eyes slightly to see him grinning down at her. "That was even more..." she stopped abruptly when his lips met hers. He kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue and pushing into her mouth. She moaned at the taste of herself on his lips. She never would have thought that to be as sexy as it was.

He pulled back from her, kissing her once more lightly on the lips before pulling her closer to him. She let her head fall against his chest, her mind already beginning to replay what had just happened. As hard as she tried to fight it, the thought of what he had just done to her made her blush, although she wasn't sure if it was more out of happiness or bashfulness.

"Spencer Hastings." She smiled nervously as she looked up at him. "I do believe we had an agreement." She shook her head and laughed, burying her head against his chest.

"I know." She shook her head again and continued with a stronger tone. "I know. I don't mean to but…" As she trailed off, he moved so that he was laying on top of her. He pressed his lips to her collarbone and then her jawline.

"Spencer, I assure you that you have nothing to be embarrassed about with me." She nodded, already beginning to feel the heat fading from her cheeks. She knew he was right. Her head shook one more time as she cleared her mind. Her hand trailed up his back and cupped the side of his face.

"I know." She turned his face so that she could kiss him. "I'm trying to control it. I just get nervous because you're the only person whose ever seen me like this." Her eyes took in his face, the easy smile on his mouth and the way his eyes stayed on hers. He kissed her back, rolling off of her so he could pull her against his side.

"I realize my presence is incredibly intoxicating. It has been known to make many girls blush in the past." She nudged him with her shoulder, shooting him a look that made him begin to laugh. "But if we're going to keep up with this…" His eyes flickered down her bare body and then back to her face. "I just want to make sure you feel comfortable with it," he murmured against her hair. "You know that I find you absolutely perfect, right? There is nothing that you will ever need to be embarrassed about around me. As long as you want this to go on, there's nothing that you could do that would make me not want to be with you."

She nodded, unable to fathom the way he sounded vulnerable and strong at the same time. All she knew was that she believed him. Every word that came out of his mouth made her want to be with him even more. Pressing closer to him, she buried her face in his chest, making a sound of agreement so he would know she understood.

Even as his hand began to run along her side, she could feel herself sinking into her mind, getting lost in the calm that had come over her. With his body pressed against hers and his fingers on her skin, she couldn't imagine any better way to spend her life.

* * *

The next time she opened her eyes, it was 8:55. "Shit," she muttered, rolling over and grabbing her phone off the table next to the bed as she pulled the sheet around her body. She had 4 missed calls from Emily and thirteen texts between her, Aria and Hanna. "Shit," she said again, hearing Wren begin to stir behind her.

"S'wrong?" he asked sleepily.

"I'm late for school. Again. This is the second time this semester." She quickly read the messages which went from calm questioning of where she was to irritation on Emily's part for having to bring an extra outfit to school for no reason to worry from all of them and then, finally, to full blown panic. They may have discovered who A was, but they were definitely all in suspicion mode still.

"It happens," Wren said from behind her. "I'm sure the school will understand that you overslept." He added, "Plus it's almost the end of the term."

She glared at him. "I know. So right before exams. I'm going to miss reviews." When he still continued to look unsympathetic, she added blamingly, "Before you, I never overslept." He looked at her incredulously. "Really. I had never been late for school before that day."

He laughed, letting his head fall back onto the bed. She chose to ignore him again when he said, "Why am I not surprised?" to himself. She quickly texted Emily, Aria and Hanna, letting them know she had just overslept and came up with a plan. She needed to get dressed. And brush her teeth. And do her hair. And she needed to do it right then. Just as she was about to get up, though, she felt Wren's arm wrap around her waist.

"Stay," he mumbled against her back, pulling her closer so he could press his face against her back. The way he said it reminded her of the previous night. And she could already feel herself beginning to cave. He hadn't even tried to convince her. Not yet anyway.

"I can't," she answered reluctantly.

"Spend the day with me."

"I can't," she repeated, this time with almost no force in her voice.

"I have off from the hospital today. Think of everything we could do." The last part came out suggestively. The part of her brain telling her she needed to get off the bed was slowly losing out to the part of her brain telling her she needed to give in and give in quick.

"You already missed part of it. I think you'll survive if you miss one day of school, Spencer." As his lips moves against a piece of exposed skin on her side, the way he said her name made her shiver. "You know, there are so many other things more important that school."

It was now her turn to look at him incredulously. "Like what?"

"This," he replied. "Us." Her hand was resting palm down on the mattress, and soon his was on top of it, his fingers lacing through hers. "You don't think it would be worth it?" When she didn't answer, he continued, "Missing out on one day of class that you could just as easily run yourself so that you can spend time with me?"

She tried her hardest to glare down at him, but couldn't hold the expression when she saw his seemingly innocent smile. Her mouth opened but no noise came out. He pulled himself closer to her, his other arm snaking out and wrapping around the other side of her.

"Stay?"

This time, she only hesitated for a second before nodding slowly. "Okay."

"Okay?" he questions, and once again she was reminded of their conversation the previous night. She whispered back, "Okay." Her eyes remained trained on his.

"Really?" She nodded. "I just have to call myself out." She dialed quickly, slapping his hand away as he attempted to push the sheet off of her shoulder. The only reason she knew the number was because Hanna had made Spencer call her out so many times over the years. As the automated message started to play, she felt his hand inch under the cloth and run up her side.

She quickly left a message pretending to be her mother. As she went through the same spiel she had always done for Hanna, she felt Wren's hand stop moving against her. Finally, she hung up, turning around and looking at the odd expression on his face. "What?"

"You just sounded extraordinarily like your mum," he commented in disbelief.

She shrugged self consciously. "I've always been able to imitate people pretty well." He shook his head, letting it fall against her side as he laughed.

"It was a bit eerie, to be honest." She couldn't stop herself from letting out a surprised laugh as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. His hand ghosted over her skin once again, making her sign quietly. "Spencer?" he asked as he began to trace a pattern with his thumb. She made a noise in the back of her throat to acknowledge him. "I think we should stay here all day."

She nodded, leaning into Wren. The arm around her waist tightened, pulling her backwards until she was completely on the bed once again. She scooted so that she was laying down and turned to face him. Their foreheads touched lightly, and she couldn't help but smile at the goofy grin on his face.

"Why do you look so happy?" she questioned. His smile grew even larger.

"Why shouldn't I?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, still unable to keep the smile off of her face. "I mean I got to spend part of yesterday with you. And then last night. And now the entire day. When have we ever had this much time?"

Time. They had never actually had time to just be together. There had always been the pressure of being caught, of someone waiting, of needing to be somewhere else. But this was something so unprecedented in their relationship, she wasn't completely positive on how she should see it. Did it mean they were together? She didn't think they were dating. But he might. Did it means they were friends with benefits? That was something that had never really appealed to her in any way. But with Wren, there was a definite chance of her considering it. Would he? Was this a one time thing? As soon as she left his house, it would be over? Or would he expect her to be there whenever he wanted her? Would they go on dates? Stay in? Would they be at his house all the time or would he expect her to have him go to hers? Her mind ran through question after question for a minute, before deciding to do something she never did. Worry about it later.

She kissed him softly, smiling when she felt his arm wrap around her waist again and pull her on top of him. This time, she let him push the sheet off of her body, feeling it fall behind her onto the bed and leaving her naked. He was only wearing his boxers, but she could tell they would be coming off soon. From the evidence pressing against her leg, she knew she was going to take care of him before she let him touch her again.

Placing her hands on his chest, she deepened the kissed and let her nails travel over his skin. Her fingers moved down in a subtle yet determined way. She rocked against him, smirking when he groaned against her mouth. Just as she had slipped underneath the waistband of his boxers, her phone began to ring on the table next to them.

She ignored it, pressing herself against him even harder and trying to push his boxers off only to be blocked by her own body on top of his. Her phone stopped ringing, only to begin again a second later. Whoever was calling her hadn't left a voicemail, instead choosing to just try again. Even as it rang loudly, her hand was wrapping around him. Her thumb circled his tip, making her grin when his hips instinctively jerked upwards.

Spencer teasingly stroked him, pulling away from his mouth slightly to see the look on his face as he groaned. Her phone started ringing again and this time she glanced over at it. She had thought that it was Aria or Emily or Hanna calling to see if she was alright, but they would have just left a message. Unless something that wrong.

He must have noticed her nervousness. "Spencer," he said. Her eyes snapped back to his. "Just answer it," he managed to strangle out. She only hesitated long enough for it to begin ringing again, and then she was climbing off of him and crawling towards the table.

It was her mom. She had to know. Spencer's mind began to figure out what she was going to say even as she picked up.

"Mom, I can-"

The older woman cut her off sharply. "It's fine. I know you're at school and I know you probably wouldn't want to be bothered but Melissa went into labor this morning."

* * *

**So here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out. School has kept me so busy lately. I hope you enjoyed and please review! It only takes a second and really helps me to write more. Also, I don't own Pretty Little Liars.**


	5. The Hospital

**This may or may not have taken me forever to write. And I'm still not sure how much I like it. Probably because it reads like more of a filler chapter than anything. Oh well. I apologize for the wait. Hopefully, I'll be able to get things up quicker from now one. Also, I don't own Pretty Little Liars. **

* * *

From his position on the bed, Wren watched as Spencer moved away from him. He'd seen the look on her face change from one of concern when she'd reached for her phone to a calculating worry when she'd seen who was calling. As she talked to whoever was on the other line, he'd watched her body language change as well, leaving behind the relaxed, carefree attitude he had woken up next to and replacing it with a stiff, tense body and a crease between her eyebrows.

At first, she was trying to make up an excuse about why she wasn't in school, but by the abrupt way she had stopped mid sentence, he could tell she had been cut off. As she stared straight ahead, listening intently with her eyes fixed on the wall in front of her, Wren shifted onto his side, placing his hand lightly on her thigh.

"Should I come to the hospital now?"

Wren sat up a little bit. Had someone been hurt?

Spencer nodded her head intently into the phone, still not looking at him. "Are you sure?" she asked and Wren could see that she had gotten the same response as before. "Okay," she said quietly. "Yes." Her head bobbed again as her forehead wrinkled even more. "Okay. I'll be there after school then. Let me know if anything changes."

She nodded once again, adding a final, "Okay. See you then," before slowly lowering the phone from her ear and letting it fall onto the bed.

"That was my mom," she said.

"What happened?" he asked, squeezing her leg gently and inching closer to her.

Her head shook back and forth as she continued staring straight ahead. "Melissa," she murmured.

"Melissa what? Is she okay? Did something happen with the baby?" Finally, Spencer turned her head to look at him.

"She's fine. I guess." She paused, her eyes flicking away from his. "She's in labor."

There was a beat of silence as Wren fought with himself. The doctor part of him wanted to know more. How long ago she had started having contractions. If her water had broken. If her doctor was there. What kind of time frame they were looking at.

The opposing part of him knew that asking any of those things wouldn't be in either of their best interests. Spencer would just get irritated, both from talking about Melissa and because she might not know the answers to some of the things he wanted to know. And Wren really didn't want to get into anything with her when things were going so great for them.

He moved his hand, winding his fingers through hers and tugging her closer to him. "Are you okay?" he asked, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. She nodded absently, smiling tightly instead of answering.

"Spencer?" She finally tore her eyes away from the wall, meeting his gaze with a worried look. "Is something wrong?" She shook her head, but then shrugged.

"Spencer…" He trailed off, hoping she would say something more, but not really expecting it.

To his surprise, her mouth opened hesitantly. "I just…" This time, it was her that trailed off. Instead of letting it drop, however, she continued. "It's just, I knew she was pregnant. I mean I've had to deal with her and her hormones for the past 9 months." She laughed bitterly. "But I don't think I ever really thought about…"

She stopped once again, seemingly lost in her thoughts. "You never thought what?" he urged.

"I never actually thought about her having a baby. Her and Ian's baby." She shook her head. "They already decided she would be staying with us after she had it. So my mom could help her." Her nose wrinkled. "Can you imagine that?" Wren shook his head slightly, not really understanding what she was asking.

"Can you imagine Melissa and my mother taking care of a baby? I mean, I barely even remember her being a mother to me when I was little. And now she's going to be a grandmother and there's going to be a mini Ian or Melissa running around and I'm going to be an aunt. To his baby." She stopped, looking into Wren's eyes. "This is going to change things."

He nodded, letting his hand run over the skin of her leg. "I know with everything that happened between you and your sister, and everything between you and Ian, this must be incredibly difficult but-"

She cut him off. "What do you mean everything between me and Ian?" The look on her face had hardened at his words. "What did Melissa say to you?"

He stopped, unsure about her reaction. "I simple meant everything that happened in the bell tower and with your friend, Alison ."

Spencer frowned. "Oh."

"Was there something more than that?"

He saw the contradiction in her answer by the way she reacted to his question. Her head shook back and forth but her shoulders shrugged at the same time. For a second, her mouth opened and he thought she would say something, but then her lips snapped back together and she looked away.

"Spencer, I'm not going to force you talking about something you don't want to."

She didn't answer and it wasn't long before he recognized the guilty look settling onto her face. "It's not that I don't want to tell you." Her eyes traveled up to the ceiling as she avoided looking at him. "It's just embarrassing."

Wren smiled, nudging her with his shoulder as her grinned at her. "Embarrassing? I'm fairly certain we agreed against that last night." Even though he had meant it as a teasing remark, she didn't smile in response.

Instead, she glared at him. "I realize that. But I don't think you understand that it's not something I'm going to be able to turn off overnight. I'm sorry I can't look at everything like a joke all the time like you."

He paused at the warning tone in her voice, realizing quickly that she had let herself get much more worked up about things than he had previously thought. As he tried to figure out how to proceed, he watched the way her body radiated with tension. Finally, she shook her head and let out a sigh, squeezing her eyes shut for a second. When she opened them, she looked directly at him.

Her features immediately softened, much to his relief. "I'm sorry. I'm overreacting. I don't mean to snap at you. I just…There are just a lot of things I've done that I regret. And I try to avoid thinking about them as much as I can but with everything thing between Melissa and Ian and…" She stopped, her eyes hardening a little bit. "It just brings up hard memories."

It didn't take long for Wren to figure out that with everything she had said, there had still been no remark on what else had happened between her and Ian. But it also didn't take much for him to realize it wasn't something he should push.

"It's fine, Spencer." He tugged her gently towards him, feeling her resistance gradually fade until she was settling herself next to him. As he wrapped his arms around her, she ducked her head and buried her face against his neck. The feeling made him smile, and he couldn't help but brush his lips lightly over her forehead.

"What do you want to do today, then?"

There was no clear response to the abrupt change in topic, just a quick shake of her head and something mumbled against his chest. As he laughed, he scooted down on the bed until he could see her face. The look of irritation had disappeared completely, but there was still lingering worry in her eyes.

"We can go out for breakfast if you like. If you're not hungry yet, we could wait a little bit and order lunch later. Then we wouldn't have to leave. Or we can go back to sleep for a little and decide when we wake up." A large part of him prayed for the last option. After his morning shifts at the hospital, he would normally have gone home and crashed for any extended amount of time, but something inside of him had told him he needed to see Spencer the previous day. While he didn't regret the decision in the slightest, the effects of the lack of sleep were most definitely beginning to catch up to him.

Spencer remained silent next to him, contemplating her choices he hoped. As she thought, she shifted her body, accidentally brushing against him and making him inhale sharply. He cleared his throat and hoped she didn't feel obligated to do anything with him.

Her eyes traveled down, a small smile settling on her face before she looked back up at his face. "I think we should take care of that before we make any decisions," she said clearly. Rolling on top of him, her hand was around him before he even had time to respond.

She leaned over him, kissing him deeply and pressing her hips down onto his. He let his hands travel to the back of her legs, running across the smooth skin there. Once again, he was struck by how extremely lucky he was. To be here with her. Like this. In what seemed like the beginning of something that could last awhile. He hoped it would last awhile anyway.

He was yanked out of his thoughts as she ground herself down onto him, their lips still connected. He groaned, aching to be inside of her, but holding himself back because of her mood. He was positive that if he were to look her straight in the face, she would be trying to hold back all of the conflicting emotions she was juggling at the time. She had managed to suppress them for the most part, but there was still agitation in her body.

"Spencer," he moaned. "I…" As he trailed off, unable to finish his thought, he felt her nodding against the side of his face.

"I know," she panted into his ear, slightly out of breath. He gripped her legs tightly, wanting her to be even closer than she was. "I want…" She didn't finish and they both stilled as he got dangerously close to her center. "I want to." This time, there was a sureness in her voice as she teasingly pressed against him.

It took every ounce of his self control to stop him from taking her right then. He grabbed her hips quickly, suddenly nervous she would just do it herself, and held her still for a moment. "Wren," she breathed into his ear, making him shiver.

Even as her hand continued to move slowly, he gritted his teeth and kept her hips still. If she continued going at the pace she had already set, he knew that it wasn't going to take much longer. But knowing her, he could definitely see her playing games with him much like he had done to her earlier that morning.

To his surprise, she didn't slow down. Instead, she raised her head, looking him in the eyes as their foreheads fell together. "Wren," she started. "Please." The underlying begging tone in her voice, accompanied by the searching look in her eyes, almost made him give in. But then there was that look, the barely masked anxiety and fear that kept him from letting them move forward.

He shook his head and kissed her as gently as he could before pulling back. "Not like this." He had to be the craziest guy in the world. Who in their right mind would ever deny a beautiful girl sex when she was practically begging for it on top of them. Especially if that beautiful girl was Spencer. "Not like this," he repeated. He watched as a disappointed look passed over her face. It was gone as fast as it had appeared, though, and soon her mouth was set in fierce determination.

Her hand tightened once again, making him groan as she began to move faster on him. Both of their breathing sped up, falling in sync with the rhythm of her hand. She pulled her face away from his, sitting up and concentrating on what she was doing.

It didn't take much longer before he was roughly calling out her name and jerking into her hand. He felt the nails of her other hand digging into his leg as he came, mirroring the way his hand had gripped her thigh tightly. She continued her motions, even after his body had settled back against the bed and he had begun to catch his breath.

When her hand had finally slowed to a light stroke against him, he opened his eyes to see her looking down on him. "Spencer," he said, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her towards him. "Come here." She wiped her hand on the sheets next to her, and climbed off of him.

They laid facing each other for a little bit, his hand trailing up and down her side as he watched her face. She looked preoccupied, and he wasn't sure if it was more about Melissa having the baby or the fact that he wouldn't let them have sex yet.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was probably no longer than ten minutes, she looked up at his face. "I need to shower," she told him. He nodded, his hand traveling up her body to play with the ends of her long hair. "You don't mind that I use yours, right?"

He shook his head. "Of course not. You can use whatever you need." He hesitated, not sure if she was actually upset with him about the way he had stopped her or if she was just upset in general. "Did you want company?" he asked quietly, a bit nervous to see her reaction.

It didn't take her long to answer, nodding her head in response but not saying anything. He took it as a good sign that she held eye contact with him, even if she seemed like she wasn't speaking to him.

"Wren?" As soon as his name left her mouth, he answered her attentively, watching as her eyes moved to stare at his chest as her fingers trailed across the skin there.

"Yes?"

"You want to right?"

Wren couldn't stop himself from snorting. "Are you kidding? Of course I do."

Spencer nodded, and he could tell she still wasn't convinced that he actually wanted her. "And we're going to, right?"

Again, he nodded forcefully. "Yes."

"And you're sure there's nothing I'm doing wrong…" This time, he didn't even let her finish before he was shaking his head.

"Spencer, everything you've done has been perfect. I told you that you won't ever have to worry about making a mistake with me."

She nodded, her face relaxing a little bit more.

"I really want to." This time, her head raised so that she could look at him. "I really, really want to," she reiterated.

He laughed lightly, relieved to see the small smile appear on her face in response.

"We're going to. Just because I don't want to when you're obviously distracted and upset about something doesn't mean I've not been struggling to control myself this entire time."

Her smile grew at his statement, only to be replaced by the same worried look as before. "I want to tell you something."

Wren nodded, instantly serious as he watched her face. "Anything."

She didn't hesitate, instead rushing into what she had to say. "The summer Alison disappeared, we fought a lot. We'd always sort of had problems, but it wasn't until then that things got really bad between us." She stopped talking and he could tell she was trying to word what she had to say in the right way for him to hear. "Alison had this habit of finding out our secrets and holding them against us. By the end of that summer, she had something on all of us, and none of it was exactly small stuff."

Spencer paused again, her eyes wandering away from his face and to the blanket on the bed. "What she knew about me was…" She shook her head slightly. "I don't even know why I'm having such a hard time telling you about all of this. It was all so stupid and long ago."

"You know I don't expect anything from you, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. It's not that. It's just that as hard as I try, I can't not be embarrassed about what happened." Her head shook again as she picked absently at a loose thread from the pillow under her head.

"What Alison had on me… What she knew…It wasn't as bad as what she had on Aria or Hanna or Em. But it definitely wasn't good." Finally, Spencer took a deep breath and continued. "One day, I was practicing in my backyard and Ian was there helping me. And we… Alison saw us kissing. And that's what she tried to use against me all summer."

Wren didn't say anything, observing the way Spencer wouldn't actually meet his eyes and the way her hands fiddled nervously with anything they came in contact with.

"Is that all?"

Spencer looked up at him in disbelief. "All?" she questioned.

"You had me thinking something horrible had happened between you and Ian. I thought that maybe he had tried to do something to you. Before the bell tower that is." At the mention of the night Ian had tried to kill her, Spencer looked away.

"No, no. Nothing like that," she said quietly. "We just kissed."

Wren nodded, fighting with the hate he felt for Ian Thomas. Not only had he tried to hurt Spencer, but he had also had his lips on her at a point. Wren wasn't used to such strong negative feelings towards people, but he knew it was better for both their sakes that Ian was already dead.

"You were fifteen, Spencer. You made a mistake. I'm not going to hold something that happened two summers ago against you."

She nodded. "I know. I knew that you wouldn't. The entire situation just seems so immature now. I don't even know why I let him or why I kissed him back." Wren felt another stab of jealousy as she looked up at him shaking her head. "It was a dumb thing to do and obviously I regret it, but you're right. I came to terms with it awhile ago and I don't let myself dwell on it anymore. I just wanted you to know but I didn't want you to think I made a habit of kissing my sister's boyfriends."

He laughed, already seeing the way her body was beginning to relax again.

"I don't think that at all. I would imagine that it's hard for any man who sees you on the street to resist kissing you."

Spencer's cheeks got a rosy tint to them as she laughed, noticeably at a loss for words. She cleared her throat nervously and he couldn't help but grin at the shy look that was back on her face.

"If that's all you were going to tell me, do you fancy that shower now?"

Spencer nodded eagerly, rolling away from him and landing on her feet. "Let's go!" she called out. And then she was out the door, moving faster than Wren could get up and leaving him once again amazed by her ability to listen to rationality. He knew that most other teenage girls would torment themselves endlessly about something like that. But Spencer had obviously gotten past it, only worrying about it when it directly affected something that she was doing in the present. A part of him wondered if she even would have thought of it again if he hadn't found her on the playground the day before. Most likely not.

He heard the shower begin to run in the other room, and got up quickly as he imagined her under the warm water. He hoped that whatever perfect moment he had been talking about so much lately would happen soon. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to hold out.

* * *

Walking into the hospital and not immediately going to change into his scrubs was a disorienting experience. So was having Spencer pressed so close to him in public. A large part of him was extremely nervous that one of her parents was going to see them and he was pretty sure their reaction wouldn't be a very positive one. But when he had worriedly confided his concerns to Spencer, she had just shrugged and told him her father wouldn't be there until after he was done work in a couple hours and her mother wouldn't go too far from Melissa. Wren had no doubt in his mind that Mrs. Hastings was going to be on the look out for something to sue the hospital for in an attempt to ensure that her eldest daughter got the best care possible.

"I can't believe that this is happening right now," Spencer muttered bitterly as they stood in front of the elevator waiting for the doors to open. He glanced at her, noting the way her lips were pursed and her eyes were hard. Without even thinking about it, he reached down and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. At first, she tensed up, looking around nervously despite her reassurances to him. And then she relaxed, letting him wind his fingers through hers loosely.

Just as the elevator doors slid open, she glanced at him, a sly smile on her face. They walked in together and she turned to press the button for the six floor. The maternity wing. And then the doors were sliding shut and she was launching herself at him.

He managed to catch her. Barely. Her hands were grasping at the back of his head as she kissed him aggressively. In retrospect, he knew he should have been expecting something like this. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that she was the kind of person who liked to get out their frustrations like that. But it had somehow never crossed him mind when he had volunteered to go to the hospital with her.

If her body had been pressed against him before, he had no word for how close to him she was now. Her knee had pushed his legs apart and was rubbing against him in a way he could tell was completely deliberate.

The elevator dinged every time they passed a different floor, but it was little more than noise in the back of Wren's mind. He was too preoccupied with restraining himself from ripping her clothes off. He settled for sliding his hands into the back of her skirt, pulling her hips to his.

Her tongue battled with his, trying to get the upper hand as she tugged at his hair. He groaned quietly. He had been on this elevator a million times before. With patients. With patients' families. With other doctors. And in all of those times, he had never once fantasized about what Spencer was doing to him right then.

All of the sudden, she moved away from his mouth, pressing her lips against his neck and then closer to his ear. "You're not going to be able to hold out as long as you think you can," she whispered. And then she pushed herself away from him, smoothing her hair down as the elevator doors slid open silently. He hadn't even noticed them stop.

He stumbled out behind her, dazed and unable to comprehend the fact that she was walking down the hallway like nothing at all had happened while he was left in a stupor. "She's going to be the end of me," he mumbled to himself. As if she could hear him, she looked over her shoulder and grinned.

Continuing to watch her, he wandered to the waiting area and sat down as she talked to a nurse at the desk. The other woman pointed to a room down the hall and smiled. Spencer only nodded in response before turning back to him. This time her face was serious and the worry was written across her face.

For a second, they continued to look at each other until he gave her a slight nod. Her face relaxed a bit as she nodded back and took a deep breath before turning and marching determinedly in the direction the nurse had pointed. Wren glanced around quickly, taking in the assortment of people there with flowers or balloons or stuffed animals. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be a long night.

Or so he thought. In reality, Spencer plopped down next to him no more than 10 minutes later with a heavy sigh. "Everything alright?"

She shook her head, refusing to open her eyes. "Evil. She's pure evil." She sat up quickly, her eyes snapping open. "And she's bringing the spawn of Satan into the world as we speak."

"As we speak?" he questioned. She glared at him.

"Not literally. Apparently they said it would be within the next two hours. Her water broke at 4 this morning and they came to the hospital at 8. It's going to be here soon though."

Wren nodded, trying to think ahead as to what he should say next. "She's horrible," Spencer muttered. "One minute she's screaming for ice chips and then she's crying because she feels guilty for talking to people like that."

"How far apart are her contractions?"

Spencer shrugged. "I'm not sure. She had 4 while I was there and was beginning another when I left. How long was I in there? It felt like forever."

Smiling gently, he covered her hand with his and leaned closer to her. Quickly peeking to make sure no one was coming out of Melissa's room, he kissed her. "Barely 10 minutes," he answered as he pulled away.

She rolled her eyes, but he noticed the color spreading across her cheeks. He trailed his thumb over the flushed skin, still staying close to her. "Something wrong?"

One of her shoulders lifted a tiny bit. She looked around the room, and he could tell she was trying to avoid meeting his eyes. He scooted a little bit closer. "Spencer?"

Finally, she looked at him. He had expected her to be reluctant in her answer, but instead, there was a slightly mischievous expression on her face. "You know those 10 minutes were the first we've spent apart in almost 24 hours." Wren nodded in agreement but didn't really understand what she meant by the statement. "I think I like you better with no clothes on."

Wren leaned away from her, an amused expression on his face. He stared at her face, how her eyes seemed so wide and innocent yet he could see the sly way her mouth curled at the corners. "And I promise you I prefer you with no clothes on, in return."

For a second, they stared at each other, but it was much different than their look before she went into Melissa's room. Before, he had only been trying to be gentle and reassuring. Now, he just wanted to figure out how far she was willing to go with the game she had started in the elevator.

"Where did you tell your mother you were going?"

She grinned. "I told her I felt like I was useless here and that I thought I should go home until after the baby had been born and Melissa was…less hostile."

"And she agreed with that?"

Spencer laughed a little bit at first. "At first, no. But then it turned out that I was more of an aggravator than a comforter when it comes to my sister in labor." When Wren continued to look at her for explanation, she laughed again. "Once Melissa started yelling at me and saying that I enjoyed seeing her in pain after everything I went through with Ian, I'm pretty sure my mom was convinced. She's supposed to call me when they get out of the delivery."

Wren paused, trying to figure out if Spencer was upset about anything that had been said to her. After analyzing the playful look on her face and her hand which had begun to trail up and down his arm, he decided against it.

"So you want to go then?"

Spencer nodded silently, her eyes still wide. "I'm sorry. It seems so pointless that we even came down here, especially on your day off."

He stood up swiftly, holding his hand out for her to take and choosing to ignore her. She grabbed his hand eagerly, letting him pull her up and down the hall. This time when they got on the elevator, he made sure to step away from her so she wouldn't get any ideas. It still took everything in him not to kiss her when he saw her peaking at him from underneath her eyelashes.

"Shouldn't we be getting off on the ground floor?" she asked as the doors slid opened.

Wren just shook his head and grabbed her hand again. "Detour."

He led her down a different hallway, taking her a way he was sure she wouldn't recognize. Finally, he pushed opened a door on their right and yanked her into the room with him.

"Are we in a janitor's closet?"

He quickly glanced at the bucket and mop standing next to them. "Maybe."

Before she had a chance to react to his sarcasm, he moved. He grabbed both of her hands and pulled them over her head, pressing her back against the door. Their noses touched and he heard her breath hitch in the back of her throat as he hesitated to kiss her.

Teasingly, he brushed his lips against hers, pulling away when she tried to deepen the kiss. After a moment of repeating his action, she finally pulled back. "Can you just kiss me like you mean it?"

Grinning, he trailed her lips across her face, moving further away from her mouth and knowing that it would annoy her. She made a noise in the back of her throat, proving him right. As he moved down her neck, pressing his lips to the hollow of her throat before letting his teeth graze her collarbone, his hands wandered down too.

Spencer was silent as his hands continued their descent, probably trying to figure out what he was meaning to do. Wren looked back up, trying to see how she far she would let him take it. Their gazes connected as he finally reached the bottom of her skirt and gripped the hem. As he pulled it up slowly, he closed his eyes and leaned closer to her face like he was about to kiss her, knowing she would mimic his actions. And she did. That is, until he shifted at the last minutes, kissing her cheek gently instead of her lips.

Again, she whined and he didn't even try to stop the grin from spreading across his face. He had pulled her skirt up until it was bunched around her waist, and his hands were inching closer and closer to their destination, until finally he stopped, feeling only bare skin. "You're not wearing any underwear." He could head both the accusation and the awe in his voice.

It was her turn to smile now. "You sound scandalized." The tension between them intensified as he stared at her. "I figured something like this might happen. I just wanted to be prepared." He let his head fall onto her shoulder and laughed.

"Always with the surprises." She laughed with him, only stopping when he felt his fingers on her inner thighs. She reflexively opened her legs wider, giving him more room to move. Not wanting to waste anytime, he quickly ran his palm up her warm skin until he was cupping her gently.

He used his middle finger to gently trace along the skin there. She was hot and she was wet and she was completely in his power at that moment. Those thoughts completely thrilled him, and as she let her head fall back against the door, he nipped the skin below her ear gently.

He felt more than heard her response, a sharp intake of breath and a low moan. In the interest of time, he slipped his middle finger inside of her, watching her face to make sure she didn't look uncomfortable. When her face remained blank, he slipped a second finger in and began to move them.

"Why are we doing this here?" she said managed to rasp out.

Gliding his thumb over her clit, he grinned. "I figured you've had a lot to deal with today and I wanted to get your mind off of it. At least for now." He didn't give her anytime to answer, instead pressing down and quickening his pace. "Plus, it seemed like you quite enjoyed the elevator, as did I. Maybe public places will be something we begin to explore." After that, her only response was to moan.

He quickly settled into a rhythm, his left hand still holding hers in place over their heads. Trying to gage her reaction, he looked looked at her face. Her hair was messy from being pressed against the door and her lips were pressed together tightly, probably to prevent her from making too much noise if he had to guess. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes squeezed shut and he was positive there was nothing he had ever seen before that had turned him on quite so much.

"Wren," she whispered and he knew from her tone she was beginning to get close. He pushed into her, making his fingers sink even deeper inside of her as he rubbed harder, circling her clit while her hips rose to meet his hand.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but all of the sudden he felt the change go through her. Her body froze for a second as her thighs tensed. And then she was crying out and he had to kiss her in the attempt to keep her quiet. Even though she had told him to do it earlier, she couldn't return the kiss, instead burying her face in his neck as her body jerked.

Eventually, she stilled, her breathing ragged and her skin slightly sweaty against his. Letting go of her hands, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "We should go soon. Just in case someone did hear us," he murmured after a minute. She nodded against his chest but didn't answer. Finally, she drew back from him and looked at his face, a small smile on her lips.

"You know when we leave, I'm going to get you back."

He rolled his eyes. "That wasn't what this was about in the least bit."

She shrugged, one of her eyebrows raising in disbelief. "I don't care what it was about." She stopped, her eyes traveling back and forth between his. "What did you think we were going to do when we got back anyway?"

Unsuccessfully, he tried to keep the grin off his face but eventually gave in. She was right. "Let's go," she said loudly. "We have things to do and, like I said earlier, I prefer you naked." Once again, he was caught off guard by her blatant word choice. She turned away from him, her hand on the door knob, but paused to look back. "You're definitely not going to be able to resist much longer."

* * *

**Please review! I would appreciate it ever so much.**


	6. The First

**Two words. Writer's Block. I feel like I could only every write about two paragraphs at a time. Still not my best. Anyway, thank you anyone who has reviewed! That's what keeps me motivated. And for anyone who hasn't, you should! Also, I don't own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"All I hear is crying. When I get home. When I'm in the shower. When I'm sleeping. All the time. I swear it doesn't sleep. Ever. It just screams and screams for hours. It's never ending. I have finals this week. I can't concentrate with all the noise. I can't even hear myself think in that house anymore."

Spencer talked more to herself than to Wren. It had been going on for two weeks now, ever since Melissa had had the baby. A boy named Thomas after it's creep of a father. Spencer didn't know why her sister chose not to give it Ian's last name as an actual last name, but she had a feeling it had something to do with Melissa wanting a perfect Hastings future for her child.

It was easy to tell that Wren was at least a tiny bit amused by her rantings as he walked out of the room. She was sprawled out on the couch, the picture of a drama queen with one arm thrown over her face and the other dangling off the edge. It was more like Hanna then herself, but for once she didn't even want to try and control herself.

In the kitchen, she could hear Wren going moving around, cabinets opening and shutting and glass clinking. Her complaining continued, even as he walked into the living room and held out a glass of water for her. "I figured you might be thirsty, what with all the talking you've been doing."

She sat up a little to take the glass and glared at him, meanwhile shifting her feet so he could sit at the other end of the couch. As soon as he had settled, she rested them back on his lap and sighed.

"I'm not talking that much." When he didn't answer, she knew he was trying not to laugh at her. "I'm not." Another beat of silence and then she continued. "You don't know what it's like to live in a house with a newborn and Melissa and my parents. It's hell on earth."

His hand settled on her ankle, tracing the bones there softly and making her shiver slightly. "Babies take some getting used to. I'm sure everything will work itself out soon enough."

Again, she couldn't stop herself from glaring at him. Not that she tried. "Well it better figure itself out sooner rather than later or else I'm going to fail my finals and then I won't graduate and I'll have to repeat my junior year and what god college is going to take someone who had to repeat a year of high school?"

Wren shook his head. "That's ridiculous. None of that is going to happen."

"Are you saying I'm ridiculous?" she asked sharply.

His hands tightened around her ankles as he laughed again. "I am in no way saying you're ridiculous and you know it. I was just pointing out that there's no possible way you could fail you finals. And if you can't concentrate at home, you can always come here to study?"

Spencer nodded. She had figured, but part of her had just been waiting for him to offer. At the other end of the couch, Wren shifted a little bit and hesitated before going on. "You could even stay here. If you wanted that is."

There was another pause between them, this time longer than before as Spencer tried not to let the panic she was beginning to feel show on her face. "You want me to stay here?" She sat all the way up and pulled her legs away from him, crossing them in front of her instead as she analyzed him. They had carefully avoided giving any type of label to what they were doing, but to her this seemed like a big step forward.

He tried to hold back his grin, but wasn't doing a very good job from what she could see. "Are you laughing at me now?" she questioned, irritation quickly setting in. He shook his head, the smile still on his face as he looked at her.

He turned towards her, mirroring her position and slipping his hands under her legs to pull her closer. As soon as their knees touched and Wren let his hands fall softly onto her legs, Spencer felt the sense of panic she had been experiencing fade a little bit.

"What I'm saying is that you've seemed a bit more irritable than usual these past two weeks and I think if you have to spend another week there, you won't be fit to be among people anymore. If you stay here, you can sleep when you want to sleep and study when you want to study and do whatever else you want to do when you want to do it."

She could feel the guarded expression on here face dropping a little bit. It hadn't escaped her that she hadn't been the most pleasant person to be around lately. But she had thought that around Wren she had been better than around anyone else. Probably because when she was around him, she didn't need to watch what she said for the fear of someone finding out what they were doing. She had no idea how Aria had managed to keep Ezra a secret for so long but she did have to give her credit for how well she handled it. For the most part anyway.

"If I stay here, you can't distract me when I'm trying to study." When she saw the mischievous grin break out across his face, she laughed. "I mean it. It would be counterproductive if I came here just to be equally distracted by you as the baby."

Once again, Wren grabbed her legs and pulled her even closer to him, maneuvering them until she was sitting over his knees, her legs on either side of his. "I'll be at work most of the time," he said, and Spencer knew that there was no way she wasn't going to accept his offer. Still she hesitated.

He leaned closer to her, letting the tip of his nose brush against hers as he smiled at her. His hands ran down her back to the back of he thighs, once again urging her closer to his. That was the moment she loved the most, right before he kissed her. Usually, she hated when people messed around with her and didn't immediately do what they wanted to do, but with Wren, the anticipation was half of the fun.

"Stop over thinking it," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm not!" There was that irritability. He pulled back and looked at her with with a hint of disbelief on his face. "Sorry," she continued. "I mean, I'm not trying to." This time her voice was softer, although she almost regretted the change when she saw him begin to smirk again. "I already made up my mind to stay here."

"You did?"

She nodded. It was funny to her that he would ask her to stay with him and then be surprised when she said yes. Like he hadn't even considered the possibility of it actually happening. Just like the first time he had asked her to spend the night and the day he had convinced her to skip school. In the two weeks since then, she'd spent the night more than once, but he had never gotten her to miss school again.

"What will you tell your parents?"

Spencer shrugged. "Honestly, I think they wouldn't even notice if I wasn't around right now. I mean they haven't said anything about all the time I've been here. I'm sure they think I'm somewhere studying though. My dad's been spending an a lot of time at the office, more than usual, probably to avoid my sister. I'll just tell my mom I'll be at Aria's a lot for finals week so I can concentrate. I'm sure she think it's a good idea. And it's not like they need my help with the baby."

In fact, she hadn't even held the baby. When she'd gone to visit Melissa in the hospital after it had been born, her sister had been too emotionally unstable and over attached so she hadn't even wanted to let go. Once they got home, Spencer had been too frustrated by the noise to ask, and no one had even offered. In the back of her mind, she knew it wasn't right that she hadn't even touched her nephew yet, but then again, it probably wasn't right that she kept referring to him as 'it' either.

Wren just looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Instead of looking overjoyed as she had expected, there was almost a hint of sadness there. Without thinking, she tapped his knee lightly, smiling and tilting her head in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Immediately, Wren grinned back at her, the his face relaxing like there had never been anything wrong in the first place. "Nothing, no reason" he quickly answered. "How could anything be wrong when I've just found out I get you to myself for the next week?"

"You mean you get me and my books to yourself for the next week?" He tone was serious, but she was sure he wouldn't take it that way because of the grin on her face.

"Exactly. And then I'll really have you all to myself once school's over."

Spencer laughed. "For the most part. Then you get me and two summer courses at Hollis."

Wren rolled his eyes. "How could I forget?" After a moment, he spoke again. "All that matters is that you make it through the next week without losing your sanity. Okay?"

Spencer nodded. "And then maybe we can get back to doing things we both enjoy." His double meaning made her heart race. The weekend couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

In the end, the week didn't go as slowly as she had been expecting it to. It hadn't taken them long to fall into a routine, her going to school and coming back to study and Wren leaving for the hospital at weird hours and returning at even weirder ones. He had also stuck to his promise, not bothering her unless she had the time to spare, which wasn't very often. By the time Spencer's finals were over, they hadn't spent more than an hour together since the day he had asked her to stay.

When she came home after her last exam mid-morning that Friday, she was surprised to see Wren's car in the driveway. They very rarely ended up at the house at the same time during the day. She was even more surprised to see him shirtless next to the green convertible, bending over and playing with the hose.

"Hey there, stranger," she called to him as she got out of her car.

Wren straightened up, squinting against the sunlight as he grinned at her. "Hey," he answered. "All finished?"

She nodded tiredly. "Finally." Walking towards him, she continued, "I don't remember ever having an exam week this stressful." She shook her head. "The baby definitely messed me up."

"Well, none of you were exactly expecting him when he decided to show up when he did so that's understandable."

Not answering, she walked up to him until they were facing one another. Wren reached out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer to him until their noses were almost touching. "Hi," she whispered, suddenly feeling slightly shy even though her mouth was turned up in the corners.

"Hi," he said back and then kissed her. It didn't last very long; neither of them was exactly in a hurry. To Spencer, it felt like they had all the time in the world to just do a lot nothing. They had the entire summer anyway. When he pulled back, he left his arms slung loosely around her body. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

Instinctively, her arms wound their way around his neck and tightened as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I know," she half whined. "I shouldn't be this tired. It's not like I've never had seven finals before."

His shoulders shook and she whined again, this time in protestation. "Maybe seven AP's on top of a new baby and everything else that's been going on these past couple months is what's a bit much."

Spencer stilled, uncomfortable at the mention of any prior events. Since the playground, it was like she had unconsciously been trying to block out anything bad from this school year. She immersed herself in Wren, and then back into her schoolwork, avoiding Aria, Hanna and Emily whenever she could, as well as her family for the most part.

Finally, she moved away from him enough to look at him. "What are you doing out here?" she questioned, trying to change the subject.

Wren glanced at his car and the hose next to him. "It would appear that I'm getting ready to wash my car." Spencer rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Care to join me?"

Before he had even finished, she was nodding eagerly. It was hot and he had kept his promise of not trying to do anything with her this past week. He had barely even touched her, and she was most definitely beginning to feel the pent up energy getting unbearable. "Just let me change," she said, moving before he could distract her from her mission.

When she returned, she was wearing a plain blue tank top and the shortest jean shorts she owned that were usually reserved for the hottest days of summer. While she had been packing, she had almost decided to leave them in her drawer at home, but then threw them into the suitcase at the last minutes. A part of her had figured something might come up that would make her grateful to have them. After putting them on, she had only taken a second to thank god that she had shaved her legs that morning before going back outside.

"That was fast," Wren called out from his position over a red bucket. It was filling up fast, suds already beginning to spill over when he glanced up at her. He froze, his eyes stuck on her as water cascaded onto the pavement beneath it. For a second, she looked back at him. "You're wasting water," she pointed out finally.

Right away, he let go of the hose, dropping it and trying to shake the water off of his hands while looking anywhere but at her. Spencer grinned to herself. They really were her shortest shorts.

"Ready?" he asked, still trying not to look at her. She nodded, walking towards him and picking up a sponge from the bucket.

"I've never actually washed a car before," she remarked, looking at the object in her hands. When she glanced up, Wren was giving her an incredulous look. It seemed like he had gotten over her outfit faster than she had hoped. She shrugged. "Can't be that hard," she continued, slapping the sponge against the driver's side window. In response, he pointed the hose towards her hand and let loose a stream of water.

"What are you doing?" She jumped away and glared at him in confusion.

"You have to rinse it off first," he responded, moving past her and continuing around to cover the entire car.

As he continued, she thought about what he had said. "Makes sense," she finally remarked, shrugging her shoulders and moving to wash the same window. She worked quickly, following his movements until the entire car was covered in suds. When she was satisfied with her work, she stepped back to view her work.

"Are you sure it won't leak to the inside?" she asked as she looked at the convertible. There weren't many things Spencer was clueless about, but cars were definitely one of them.

Wren shook his head. "There's a seal on the roof when it closes. Basically makes it airtight and keeps the water out. This one's only had one leak since I got it, but I fixed it."

"Yourself?"

He nodded. "My dad taught me how to take care of cars when I was younger."

Spencer's head bobbed slowly. His statement had instantly brought back memories of Toby and the sudden onslaught of emotions caught her completely off guard. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip. The first time they had broken up had been horrible, but they had gotten back together fairly quickly. The longevity of this break up managed to keep astounding her even though she'd been with Wren so much, even when she had been able to keep her mind off of it for so long.

"Are you okay?

Her eyes snapped to Wren, who was looking at her in concern. "Of course," she said after clearing her throat. "Why wouldn't I be?" Still, she avoided making eye contact.

"You went somewhere else for a minute, didn't you?"

After an uncomfortable hesitation on her part, she nodded but changed the subject again before Wren could go on. "So what do we do next?"

For a second, Spencer was certain he was going to press her to talk about what she was thinking, but then he was holding out the hose to her and smiling slightly. "Now, we rinse it off."

She dropped the sponge next to her and went to work immediately, painstakingly making sure every inch of the car was free of soap. When she was finished, she went around once more and then turned to look at him. "Okay. What now?"

Wren wasn't even trying to hold back his grin. "Now, we dry." He bent over to pick up two towels, throwing one to her and then turning to the car. She mimicked his actions, concentrating on getting rid of every drop of water she could see and letting herself get lost in the job.

After they had both circled around the car, going over spots the other had missed, Wren stepped back and let his towel fall on the ground. "That's it?" she questioned.

He nodded again. "Pretty much. I mean there's more that could be done but after watching you do that pretty much single handedly, I would much rather move on to bigger and better things."

Spencer felt her face flush. It still caught her off guard whenever he spoke so blatantly about anything sexual, even if it usually was an innuendo. And he had let herself get so caught up in the car, she had forgotten the reason behind her barely there outfit. Obviously, he hadn't. She let her towel drop onto his and leaned back against the car, crossing her arms and smiling nervously.

As he bent over the grab the bucket, her eyes didn't leave him. He dumped the water out on the grass and bent over to pick up the hose. "Can you hand me that sponge?" he asked.

Finally tearing her eyes from him, she pushed off the car and walked to where she had dropped the sponge on the ground. Just as she stood up from picking it up, she felt a blast of cold water hit her. She shrieked loudly, jumping away from Wren and holding her hands away from her body futilely like it could stop her from getting wet.

"Wren, stop!" The onslaught continued despite her protests. "Wren!"

The water cut off, and she pushed her hair out of her face to glare at him. There wasn't a part of her that hadn't been hit by the stream of water and her irritation didn't seem to have any effect on Wren. "I apologize but I've been waiting to do that to you since you came back out," he finally managed to say, laughter evident in his voice.

She glanced down at her now wet clothes and rolled her eyes. "You are such a guy," she spat out, still trying to get over the shock. While she was busy ringing her hair out, she didn't notice him move swiftly until he was right next to her.

"I know this is the first car you've ever washed, so I figured I teach you the first lesson of car washing."

"And what's that?"

"You always have to get someone with the hose." Again, Spencer rolled her eyes. "Such a guy," she repeated, exasperated at the sight of her drenched clothes. "Now I have to change again." Before she had a chance to look up again, he had her pressed against the car, leaving her breathless.

And then his mouth was on hers and his hands seemed to be everywhere on her body at once. She responded eagerly, meeting his tongue with hers and gripping the hair on the back of his head tightly. It was everything they had been holding back for the entire week. Sure they had kissed, but it had always been slow and calm, in what she was sure was an attempt to make sure neither of them got too excited.

Something on the car was digging into her back and she could feel the beginning of an uncomfortable tightness over her shoulders and cheeks from the sun's rays, but there was nothing she could do to pull herself away from Wren. His hands were tangled in the hair at the base of her skull, tugging her head back so he could graze his teeth over her throat. She groaned deeply, feeling his other hand at the top of her shorts pop open the button and slip inside.

As his fingers traced over the sensitive skin just under her pants, she moaned, her hips already rising to meet him even though he hadn't even really touched her yet. All at once, she realized that they were outside in the middle of the day. Anybody who drove by would see them practically having sex on this car. But still, she couldn't bring herself to stop them.

Her knee made it's way in between his legs as his hand traveled further down. She was sure she understood what people meant when they said all the blood rushes away from your head in those kinds of situations. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to handle the throbbing between her legs.

A car drove by, and she was almost positive that it slowed down at the sight of them. "Wren," she was able to pant out while trying to catch her breath. He lived in a townhouse. The people who were on the other side of him could be watching them through the window at that very moment. "Wren," she said again, still unable to put any force behind it.

The only response she got was a distracted 'Mmm?' noise as he moved back up to her face. They kissed again, but she pulled away before he could deepen it, tilting her head back to rest against the car. "You. have. neighbors. Cars. People could. See." Her sentence was disjointed because of her inability to breathe and it occurred to her that she didn't even get that out of breath when she went for her run every morning. "Inside," she continued. Still no response.

Just as she was about to give up and just let him do whatever he wanted to her right there in the middle of neighborhood, both of his hands went around her waist and yanked her away from the car. His mouth met hers and then they were stumbling towards the house.

They began the slow journey inside. Somehow, Spencer had ended up being the one walking backwards and a touch of clumsiness was coming out in her. She tripped multiple times, the last time only managing to not completely fall to the ground because Wren was there to catch her before she hit. It didn't help that neither of them could stop laughing as they went along, both finding the situation hilarious.

By the time they neared the front door, they had established a system of small steps taken at the same time which seemed to work better than the almost frantic bounds they had taken in the beginning. Upon reaching the house, Spencer back slammed roughly into the front door, eliciting a sound that was between a grunt and a laugh. He pressed her against the wood, his hands pushing her tank top up as she reached behind her to find the door knob.

When she finally was able to turn it enough, they both lost their balance, staggering through the doorway and still laughing at themselves as they barely managed not to fall. Both of them paused for a second, and Spencer took the time to rest her forehead against his as she caught her breath. His was equally rough, and there was a part of her that was proud that it was because of her that he felt that way.

He kissed her again, gently this time, and began to urge her through the kitchen. For a second, Spencer entertained the idea of just letting him do whatever he wanted to do to her right here, maybe even on the counter, but then they were out of the kitchen and in the living room.

They managed to make it through most of the room until she tripped over her own feet again. This time, he wasn't fast enough to stop her, and they landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs. She giggled, unable to stop herself from kissing him chastely on the lips as he laughed with her.

"It would appear that we're a mess," he said, brushing the hair out of her face. She nodded in agreement and slowly worked her hands into the waistband of his pants to unbutton them.

"Well maybe if someone hadn't been in such a hurry…" She trailed off, raising one eyebrow at him with a smirk on her mouth.

"It's these pants. You knew the effect that they would have on me when you decided to wear them." She didn't deny it, instead trying to push his pants down unsuccessfully. "Wait," he said. "Not yet."

Once again, his hands found their way into the waistband of her shorts, his fingers gliding over the newly exposed skin as he unbuttoned them. "I really do enjoy these pants," he murmured. "Something about them makes you looked more relaxed than I've seen you."

He was right. She'd felt calmer since she'd walked up the driveway than she had in months. It might have been the fact that school was done. Or maybe it was that she knew it wouldn't be long until they were able to be together. In the back of her mind, though, she knew that a large part of it was that she was able to come home to him at the end of the day but that scared her. Was she supposed to feel like that? They'd only be doing whatever they were doing for three weeks now. Neither of them had tried to set any definition to it. For the most part she was glad about that, but there was also a corner of her mind that consistently worried about something happening to ruin it. What if he met someone else? Someone more his age, his type. Would he get bored of her? She wasn't sure she could handle it if he said he didn't want any part of it anymore. There had already been so much loss for her in the past couple of years, anything else was likely to send her completely over the edge. Did he realize that she still wasn't over Toby? Would he care if he did know? It's wasn't like the feelings were full blown, still in love with feelings. They were just left over remnants of feelings that were too strong to get rid of in just a couple of months. It was also something that she was positive only Wren would be able to help her with. Unknowingly of course. If there was one thing she didn't want him to think he was to her, it was a rebound.

"I take it back. I hate these bloody pants." Spencer snapped out of her thoughts. She had let herself get so caught up in her mind's wanderings, she had barely noticed Wren trying, quite literally, to get into her pants. But they were damp and skin tight and she could see he was definitely struggling.

She grinned at the way he was obviously beginning to get frustrated. "Well maybe if you hadn't gotten them wet, they wouldn't be sticking to my skin so much."

"Well maybe if they weren't so tight in the first place, we wouldn't be having this problem," he shot back teasingly.

Shaking her head, she pushed him off of her and stood up quickly, shimmying her hips and pushing them down until they were around her thighs. Wren did the rest, holding the bottoms and pulling them down to the floor so she could step out of them. "Next time, I'll wear a dress, then," she remarked dryly. As soon as she had kicked them away, she knelt over him and kissed him, biting down softly on his bottom lip.

Before she could go any further, Wren pulled away and stared up at her. "Where did you go just now?"

Spencer just looked down at him in confusion. "What?"

"You know." He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Before when your pants were giving me a hard time, you went somewhere else. You were watching what I was doing, but I could tell you weren't actually seeing me. Is something bothering you?"

Spencer shook her head slowly, for once not looking away from him even though she didn't exactly know how to answer him. "No, no. It's nothing like that." She bit the inside of her lip briefly, thinking about how much she should let him know. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about how happy I was to be able to come back here after school instead of having to go home. How happy I am with this." The mention of what was going on between them had her heart pounding. Hopefully, he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"I am too, you know."

"You are what?"

"I'm happy with this. Whatever it is between us, I don't want it to end anytime soon."

Spencer smiled. "Me either." That was a relief. At least he felt the same way as her when it came to that subject. She felt a little guilty for not telling him the complete truth, but in the end it wasn't really an option for her to tell him she was having paranoid attachment issues.

Finally, he pulled her back down to him. They kissed and kissed, barely even stopping to breathe. For some reason, Spencer's mind traveled back to the seventh grade, when Alison had been the first in their group of friends to kiss a boy. When she'd told the four of them, Spencer had made an off handed comment about how kissing was actually a pretty gross concept, if you thought about it. Ali had immediately torn into her, calling her a prude and asking her if she wanted to end up alone in life. She'd even gone so far as to tell her that she only thought kissing was gross because there was no one who would even want to kiss her to begin with. At that point, Spencer had been so shocked at the way Ali had turned on her, she hadn't even defended herself. The others hadn't either, instead just giggling nervously when Ali expected them to and shooting Spencer looks of sympathy when Ali's attention wasn't on them. From then on, it had basically been Spencer's mission in life to get a boy to kiss her, if only to show Ali that she could.

Looking back on that, Spencer always found it funny that she had ever felt that way. Because it hadn't taken her long to figure out that kissing wasn't gross. It was thrilling and hot and fun. Especially if it's with the right person. Like Wren. The first two days they had been together, both of their minds had been so focused on the end results, they hadn't taken the time to actually appreciate the kissing. After that, though, they always waited longer and longer before taking their clothes off because most times when they kissed, they would get so caught up in the making out part, that they almost forgot there were things that came after.

Like all those other times, there was a subtle switch from playful kissing to kissing with a purpose behind it. Until that switch, Wren's hands had been moving lazily, tracing over the skin under her shirt with no real destination. Then suddenly he was grabbing her butt and pulling her down against him, their hips grinding against each other's. They both moaned at the new pressure and Spencer got the exhilarated feeling of anticipation that she always got when they hit that point.

From there, everything sped up. Before she could even think, her shirt was off and Wren's hands were undoing her bra, pulling it down her arms and letting it fall to the floor. "In a hurry?" Spencer teased.

Sitting up and wrapping his arms around her, he laughed with her. He pushed her hair away from her face and pulled her closer to kiss her shoulder "I've missed you this week," he finally said against he skin.

"I've been here all week," she answered.

"You've been here but you haven't actually been here." Spencer didn't answer him. There was no way she could deny how far away she had been mentally but she could make it up to him.

She was kneeling over him, and as his lips moved down and across her chest, she had the realization that she had practically no clothes on while he was beneath her only half naked.

"Take your pants off," she demanded.

When he ignored her and kept kissing her instead, she reached up and put her hands on either side of his face so he had to look at her. "Take. Your. Pants. Off." Unlike the first time, there was no way Wren could pretend he hadn't heard her.

"You're a bossy one."

"I'm not bossy."

"You really believe that?"

Spencer shrugged. "I guess maybe I sometimes tell people what to do." At his incredulous look she continued, "Okay. I have a tendency to tell people what to do. But that doesn't change the fact that you're not listening to me."

They stared at each other, waiting to see who was going to make the first move. Eventually, Wren slipped out from under her. Never breaking eye contact with her, he unbuttoned his pants and stepped out of them quickly, leaving his boxers on. Before she could make any sort of snarky comment like she was planning to in her head, he was on top of her, pressing her down onto the wooden floor.

They kissed and right away were back to where they had started. It seemed to her like his hands were all over at once, tangled in her hair, teasing at her breasts, tracing the contours of her waist. He sucked on the hollow of her throat, making her moan.

Her nails dug into his back as he rocked against her teasingly. "Wren," she was able gasp out when he bit down on her shoulder. "Wren," she repeated.

The only response she got was a quiet "Mhm?"

"Boxers."

"What?" He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, confused.

"Take your boxers off."

Wren let his head fall against her chest as his shoulders shook with laughter. "Really?" Spencer laughed too, and it sounded suspiciously like giggle.

"I'm joking." She smiled at him, still laughing a little bit. "Well, I meant it, but I was also just trying to make you laugh."

Wren brushed his lips over hers. "If you want them off," he whispered. "Take them off."

For a second, Spencer just looked at him in surprise. And then she smirked. Slowly, she pulled her legs up and began to push the boxers down his legs with her feet. On the way, she made sure to brush against him, cocking her eyebrow when he breathed in sharply. "You're teasing me."

"Maybe," she answered, getting them off completely and kicking the material away from them. Her hips rose up and he groaned. She sat up to meet him, kissing him roughly and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down to her. Things intensified quickly and there was something about it that was different than any of the other times.

Their movements, their touches, their breaths were all frantic. Spencer felt like she couldn't be close enough to him and from the way he was touching her, she knew he felt the same way. All at once, she realized that they were going to have sex. It was different. For the first time, she was sure that he was finally going to give in to her. Usually, there was always something in him that kept them separated, an unseen barrier. Something that made sure things didn't go too far. But this time, there was absolutely no restraint between them, and because of that, she was sure that it was finally going to happen.

"Spencer," he groaned into her neck. "I have to get a-"

She cut him off abruptly. "I'm on the pill. Have been since I was fifteen." She was right. It was a struggle to control her breathing as she went on. "And I trust you."

Without saying anything, he lifted his head and kissed her deeply. Their tongues met and Spencer made a tiny noise in the back of her throat, letting her legs fall apart and digging her nails into his back once again. He pushed her underwear down, kneeling over her to take it off completely. With that, he laid back down on top of her, the length of his body spread out over hers, and kissed her once again.

Without warning, her pulled away. "Are you positive about this?"

Spencer barked out a laugh. "Are you serious?" She'd only spent the last three weeks trying to convince him.

Wren chuckled softly. "Just making sure." He kissed her again. "We should move," he said softly.

She shook her head. "No. We should stay here."

That only made him laugh harder. "I never know what to expect from you." His nose trailed across her neck. "But as you wish."

Their lips met and Spencer felt her breathing speed up. This was it. She was actually about to have to have sex with Wren. It was going to happen and it was happening and then he was inside of her.

She moaned as he stilled over her. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But it didn't hurt as badly as she thought it was going to. "Are you okay?" he murmured in her ear, still not moving so she could get used to the feeling.

"Yes," she panted out. "Stop asking me and move."

"You're very pushy today."

"No I'm not."Before he could retort, she spoke again. "Stop. Are we really going to have this conversation right now?" Wren shook his head and kissed her sweetly. He pulled out of her gently, and pushed back inside. Spencer couldn't stop herself from letting out a quiet cry that was closer to a whine than anything. Right away, he was still again. "Don't stop! I'm fine." At the unsure look on his face, Spencer continued. "I promise."

After a second, Wren repeated his action. And then again. And eventually, it stopped feeling uncomfortable and just began to feel good. It was obvious that he noticed the change too as he started to move faster, which only felt better.

Spencer finally understood what he had meant by wanting her to not regret it. If they had had sex the day of the playground, it would have been tied to her being sad and confused and unsure of everything. If it had happened the next day, she would have remembered it as being a distraction. But the with the way things were, it was just right. For the first time in a long time, she was relaxed and content and happy. School was over and she was with Wren and there was nothing for her to worry about. Nothing for the rest of the day, anyway.

A part of her couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Wren was actually inside of her, making her feel the way she did. He was picking up his pace even more, moving against her and pushing her closer to the edge as the frantic feeling that had been there since the beginning only got more and more intense.

One of his hands ran up her side, trailing along her arm and interlocked their fingers on the floor over her head. His other hand moved down, going between their bodies and quickly finding her clit with his thumb. He didn't waste any time in working her up, circling rhythmically until she was gasping for breath underneath him.

Her volume immediately increased, her voice raspier than it normally was when she talked. "Wren," she moaned, her hips meeting his to increase the friction between them. "Wren," she breathed. "I'm-"

"I know, I know," he grunted against her neck. "Just…" he trailed off. From there, it didn't take very long to get her to where he wanted her. She moaned again, her voice high and frantic as she called out his name again. "Wren!" Her back arched off the floor as he increased his pace. In the haze that was her mind, Spencer knew that he was getting just as close as she was. There was no way she could know how long they moved together, but she was positive that with every second, it just got better.

Without warning, she was gone, crying out something unintelligible as her thighs clenched and she was taken over by the waves of pleasure. Wren kept moving above her, kissing her as she rode out her high, only to follow her not long after. He continued his movements, slowing down gradually as he buried his head in her neck and gripped her hand tightly.

They breathed heavily against one another, their eyes closed and bodies pressed together.

After a couple minutes, Spencer finally felt like she was regaining her senses. "That was…" She didn't finish her thought, instead just making a satisfied keening in the back of her throat. Her hands ran up and down his back, lightly tracing circles with her fingers. They stayed like that, though she wasn't sure for how long.

His hands wound through her hair and he gently and kissed her before rolling off of her onto his side. She whined in protest, her arm wrapping around his chest and her leg going over his waist. Wren laughed.

"I never would have thought you would be the clingy type after sex."

"I'm not clingy. I'm just not ready to not be close to you." She buried her head against his chest as he laughed. Pulling her even closer to him, she thought about how different it was. Two hours ago, she had been a virgin. And now she wasn't. And there wasn't one part of her that regretted it.

"You totally deflowered me."

"What? That's a horrible word," he managed to say before he cracked up. She laughed too, proud of herself for being able to make him laugh. Usually, he was the funny one so it was always nice for their roles to be switched.

"Fine. You defiled me."

He shot her a look, but he was obviously not serious because his grin was barely contained.

"Seduced?"

"If anything, you were the one who seduced me. And you can't deny that."

Spencer shook her head. "Not true at all. You ravaged me."

"Ravaged?" he questioned.

"Yes. Ravaged."

Wren grinned and Spencer could immediately tell he had a plan in motion in his mind. "Okay. I'll agree to that. I ravaged you. And I'm going to to it again. On the couch and in the bedroom and in the shower and probably in the car at some point. And then there's the kitchen. Maybe even the piano. That doesn't even count all of the places outside."

Spencer's eyes widened, his shameless attitude surprising her in a good way. At the same time, it had filled her with a growing sense of excitement, as well as put an ache between her legs like he hadn't just made her come for the first time in a week. If things went like he planned, it was going to be an interesting summer for the both of them.

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**Like I said before, review please! And I hope you enjoyed. **


	7. The Babysitter

**It's been forever but here's the next chapter! Obviously, this story stays with the show through the second season but after that it goes AU. Hope you enjoy!**

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Something was wrapped around Wren's ankle. And whatever it was, it was restricting his movement to the point that it was beginning to get annoying. He'd been sleeping, better than most nights because he was warm and Spencer was sprawled out next to him, but then he had gone to roll over and felt whatever it was and just couldn't ignore it. Blearily, he opened one eye and glared down the bed.

The sheets.

It occurred to him that he may have been more tired than he had thought he was the previous night. A sheet was probably the most obvious thing to be wrapped around his leg while he was in bed. Unless Spencer had for some reason decided to tie him up in his sleep. His mind lingered on that thought for a minute, letting himself think about how undeniably hot that would have been.

Speaking of hot, a very naked and uncovered Spencer mumbled something incoherent from her position next to him. He glanced over at her, barely able to make out in the dim light that her eyes were still closed but her forehead was creased, a tell tale sign that she was either waking up or having a not so pleasant dream.

"S'early."

Apparently it was the first option. Wren chose not to answer. He felt bad enough that he had been so wired the night before that he hadn't let her go to sleep until two and a half hours after he first noticed her yawn. In the end, though, she had understood the five cups of coffee it took to get him through the last three hours of work that prevented him from sleeping. She had also understood the two he had drank after getting home and finding her waiting on his front steps. So instead of responding to her slurred statement, he gently shook his leg, trying to free his foot without bothering her anymore.

It proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated, however, and the only thing he managed to accomplish was pulling the material even tighter around himself. With a sigh and a glance toward Spencer, he debated his options. He could either give up even though he knew he would never be able to fall asleep again if he wasn't able to fix the sheets or he could move and risk waking her all the way up.

Finally, he moved slowly, inching down the bed and grabbing the material. It unwrapped easily, much easier than the fight it had been giving up before, and he was actually able to move his leg freely as he flopped back against the mattress. Only to see Spencer squinting over at him.

"Having issues?"

Wren smiled. "I'm sorry," was the only thing he said back to her as he took in her sleepy eyes. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Spencer half shrugged and shook her head as he watched her eyes fluttered closed. At least they would be able to catch up their sleep a little bit more. But it soon became apparent that despite his best efforts, he was awake. Briefly, he entertained the thought of getting up, making breakfast, maybe working out, but it didn't take long for him to decide against it. He was still just warm enough, especially once Spencer scooted closer in her sleep.

He eyed her for a second, taking in the way she slept face down with her body twisted, one leg pulled up and bent at the knee with her arms thrown over her head on the mattress. One of her quirks that he couldn't help but find adorable was her inability to use pillows. Every time she stayed with him, she always started off with at least one, but by the time morning hit, it was sure to be thrown onto the floor or covering her head.

The room was barely light; it was probably right around the time the sun would begin coming up. There was just enough for him to see that the sheet was draped over her bottom half so that her hip was exposed. That hip led to her side, where he followed the curves of her body to the arch of her back. Without even realizing what he was doing, his fingers were on her skin, tracing those curves up her body.

From her position on the bed, the side of her breast was visible and Wren was suddenly consumed with the desire to see more of her, to have her under him and saying his name in that raspy way she always did when they had sex.

It didn't take him much longer to move. He eased his hand under her shoulder, gently nudging her and trying to get her to roll away from him onto her back. She whined in protest, squinting at him again even as she let him move her. Settling on her back, he grinned when he saw her glaring up at him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The irritation in her voice only fueled his desire. Out of nowhere, he didn't just want to be on top of her while she said his name. He wanted her writhing underneath of him, begging him to make her come because she needed him that badly. He kissed her roughly, the gasp that escaped her mouth letting him know that she hadn't been expecting him to do something like that.

Taking the opportunity of her open mouth, he didn't hesitate in pushing his tongue past her teeth, hoping she wasn't to shell-shocked to respond. It took her a second before she woke all the way up, hesitantly meeting his tongue with hers and biting down on his bottom lip.

From there, it wasn't long before Wren was pulling his mouth away from hers and moving down her face. Finally, it actually felt like she was beginning to go with him. Her arms went around her neck and then he felt her shift beneath him so that her right leg was pulled up next to him. To him, that was a very clear green light for him to continue.

Sliding down her body, he left a wet trail from her neck, between her breasts, over her stomach and finally to her legs. He didn't waste anytime, pushing her knees apart and attacking her with his mouth.

Spencer jumped and let out a strangled cry, making Wren grin. He pulled back to glance up at her. Her eyes were on him. "Not wasting any time, are you?" she panted shakily. He shook his head, still smiling but also thinking about what she had said. Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick about everything.

He took her in. The way her cheeks were flushed and her eyebrows were still drawn together a tiny bit in confusion. The way her lips were parted and she was looking down at him through her eyelashes. The way her legs were open and the way her breathing was already faster than normal.

It was so early in the morning. Much too early for surprise sex. Apparently anyway. Wren continued to look at her, lowering his head at the same time. Unlike before, he moved slowly. He trailed his nose over her stomach and then down her legs until he got to her knee. Once there, gradual turned his attention to the inside of her legs.

The first time he's done this to her, he'd left marks on her. Marks that he caught her looking at for days when she thought his attention was elsewhere, even after they had faded to a muted green-yellow color on her skin. Even though they were all small, he'd been expecting her to be less than thrilled about them, along with the mark he'd left on her chest. Surprisingly, she hadn't said anything and he'd even gone so far to say that she looked pleased with the fact that they were there.

So he did it again. He set to work biting and sucking spot after spot, soothing each one afterwards with his tongue and making sure to get her other leg as well, until he had worked his way up to where he actually wanted to be. He peered up at her again, relieved to see that her eyes were hooded with lust and her mouth was curving up into a relaxed smile.

Still using his nose, he continued his journey, gently brushing against her and grinning when he heard her sigh. One last time, he pushed her legs further apart, and then he leisurely licked her. He felt her body freeze for a second, and then she was squirming further down the bed, trying to push herself closer to him.

He took full advantage of the opportunity, moving faster and reaching up blindly and taking her hand that had been grasping at the sheets into his. Clumsily, they were able to interlock their fingers, which only intensified the fact that Wren could feel every reaction to what he do go through her body as he did it.

His mouth was hard against her, the passion he had been going for earlier finally able to make an appearance. Her body arched in reaction and she was roughly saying his name with a pleading tone that only spurred his actions. He allowed himself to get lost in her. In her sounds. In her taste. In her smell and feel. He was lost, but there was not a single part of him that actually desired to be found again.

For having just woken up, it didn't take very long before Spencer was convulsing on the bed above him. From his point of view, all he could see was her head tilted back to expose the pale skin of her throat and the erratic movements of her flat stomach. With her thighs clenched around his head and the noises coming out of her mouth, Wren couldn't have felt more proud of himself. And he had wanted to go back to sleep.

Once she had finally collapsed back onto the bed, Wren rolled to the side of her and moved until his head was level with her stomach. "Good morning," he said smoothly, smiling at her. Her only response was to smile back and he was positive that if he had done something like this weeks ago she would have been blushing at that point.

There were tiny half moon marks all over the back of his hand from where she had help on too tightly. When she saw where his attention was, she brought his hand up to her mouth, kissing each and every one softly. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Wren just laughed. "For what?"

Spencer shrugged. "Leaving marks on your hand, I guess."

"Are you joking?" Wren shot her a disbelieving look. "Have you not seen what I just did to you?"

Her eyes flickered down to her thighs and then back to look at his face. It wasn't hard for him to tell that she was trying to suppress her smile. "But I can cover those. It's not like you can wear gloves around in the summer."

Wren smiled broadly, changing position until they were face to face. Once again trailing over her skin, he moved from her mouth, along her cheek to her ear. "They'll fade." His voice was low as a shiver went through her body.

"What if I don't want them to?" she asked him quickly, catching him slightly off guard.

After pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he smirked. "Then don't let them."

One of her eyebrows rose. "I wouldn't do that to you." she answered. "You're good with your hands. Almost as good as you are with your mouth." She paused a second to let the double meaning sink in. "But your patients have to see your hands. And I wouldn't want to leave something like that where everyone can see." Another second of silence as she thought. "I guess I'll just have to find somewhere more appropriate then."

There was nothing in the world he wanted more at that moment. Before anything else could start between them, Wren pulled back. "When do you have to leave?"

"Why? Eager to get rid of me?"

"More than you could know. It's absolutely dreadful waking up next to an unclothed, incredibly gorgeous girl in you bed."

Biting her lip, she turned her head when he tried to kiss her, a mischievous look in he eyes. "I don't have to be home until tonight. I'm supposed to be meeting up with Aria and Hanna. But that's not for hours."

The only thing he found sexier than Spencer naked in his bed, was Spencer whispering subtlety suggestive things into his ear while she was naked in his bed. And right then, when her lips were barely brushing over his skin, Wren could practically feel his brain melting inside of his skull. She knew how to bewitch him.

* * *

When Wren woke up the next morning, he was instantly hit with the fact that the previous morning was in no way going to repeat itself. He knew mostly because Spencer wasn't next to him. She had decided to stay at her house with her friends, leaving him alone to wake up a loud knocking on the door. The knocking was the second reason he knew this morning would be different. He glared at the clock. 9:37. Only five short hours before then had he crashed into bed. It was his own fault he was so tired; he never should have stayed up so late for no reason, but he just hadn't been able to get comfortable in his bed. He shut his eyes, hoping whoever was there would just go away. But right away, the knocking began again.

With a groan, he pulled himself out of bed and made his way to the door. He stumbled down the stairs and as he began to get closer to the door, he started to hear something else. Was that crying? Finally, he pulled the door open and squinted against the sunlight, unsure about what he was seeing in front of him.

"Spencer?"

There was a car seat in front of her, a diaper bag slung over her shoulder and a frantic look on her face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she said. "It's just Melissa had something come up with the townhouse and she needed to go meet with the contractor and my parents are both away on business trips and she practically begged me to watch it. I told her I couldn't and that I have things to do but she wouldn't listen. I mean, she practically ran out the door. I don't know anything at all about babies. It won't stop crying. I've never changed a diaper in my life. I have no idea how to mix formula and I just really can't handle the screaming much longer." She ran her hand through her hair, shaking her head at the same time.

"I need you…," she started and it was obvious that she was about to lose it as she cleared her throat and corrected her previous statement. "I need your help."

Wren just stared at her for a second and then turned his attention to the baby at their feet. His face was red from crying and his tiny fists were waving in the air. Without a second thought, Wren bent over and unbuckled the baby, lifting his carefully and holding his gently.

"Hey, there. What's got your knickers in a twist, Thomas?" He rocked the baby back and forth a little bit, hoping the crying would lessen at least a little bit. Unfortunately, he wasn't in luck.

"Melissa's actually been calling him by his middle name lately," Spencer said quietly. "I don't really think she took into account the memories it would bring up when she named him what she did."

"So it's Taylor now?" Spencer nodded to show him that he was right.

"Well that's good to know then." Wren look at the baby, making a silly face at him before turning and wandering back into the apartment, "Come on. It would appear someone needs a lesson on babies."

"You're going to help me," Spencer said with the tiniest bit of shock.

"Of course I am. I don't even know if you can be trusted with him right now." Even though his back was to her, Wren could practically feel her roll her eyes. They went into the living room, where Wren sat down on the couch and looked down at the baby. Spencer flopped down next to him, shaking her head as she took them in.

"Why does he cry so much?"

Wren laughed. "I'm not sure. Some babies are more prone to crying than others." He checked the infant's diaper quickly. Nothing. "Do you know when the last time he ate?"

Spencer shrugged. "I think she said whenever he woke up. Around 5 maybe?" Just after Wren had gone to bed.

Wren nodded. "He might just be hungry. We should make him a bottle."

Spencer just stared at him blankly, causing him to laugh. "Hand me the bag." She did as he asked, and he shifted so he could hold the baby with one hand while searching for what he was looking for with the other. Pulling out a bottle two thirds of the way full, he stood up and went to the kitchen to warm it up.

Upon his return, Spencer just stared at him as he settled down next to her and began to feed the baby. "Finally. Quiet." Wren smiled but didn't say anything in response. "How do you know what to do?" she asked.

"I have a lot of cousins."

Spencer nodded silently and looked down at the baby. Wren couldn't quite decipher the look on her face as she watched him. She was biting her lip and her forehead was creased. Her leg was even jumping up and down anxiously. All at once, it dawned on him that she was actually nervous, maybe even scared. But Spencer Hastings, scared of something? He almost couldn't fathom it. Especially not a baby. He'd seen her worried, angry, anxious, happy, upset but never scared. There was only one way to know for sure.

"Do you want to feed him?" Wren held the baby out a little bit, trying to gauge her reaction. Immediately, she leaned away, shaking her head vigorously at him.

"No, no. It looks like you've got in under control."

Wren didn't say anything for a little bit, choosing instead to analyze her out of the corner of his eye. She was still leaning away from him, her bottom lip between her teeth and her forehead even more wrinkled than before. "Spencer?"

She made a quiet noise in the back of her throat, her eyes snapping up to meet his.

"Spencer, does he frighten you?"

Spencer scoffed. "What? No! Of course not" Even though her tone of voice was so vehement, Wren couldn't help but doubt exactly how truthful she was being.

"Spencer, have you ever even held him?"

"Of course I've held him." She paused for a second, her eyes moving to look at the bookcase guiltily. "I had to put him in the car seat didn't I?"

Wren couldn't stop the surprised look on his face. He had expected as much, but a part of him had still believed that she would get over her issues with Melissa once the baby was born.

"Spencer, he's your nephew. You don't have to be scared of him."

"I know that he's my nephew, Wren. And I would really appreciate it if you could stop saying my name like I'm five. I don't need to be reminded of what he is to me. If I don't want to hold him, I don't have to."

Spencer's voice was harsh and Wren was at a loss for what to say in response to her. He looked down at the baby, who was sucking on the bottle and completely oblivious to what was going on around him. Sometimes, it would strike Wren exactly how innocent babies were, how open to anything around them they were.

There was a tiny drop of milk of his face and as Wren used the blanket to wipe it away, he saw Spencer lean close again.

"I've never held a baby before." The statement was almost whispered and Spencer wouldn't meet his eyes, but she had said it and Wren couldn't have been more relieved that her anger was so short lived. "Growing up, we didn't have a big family. My mom is an only child and my dad's only sister lives in California with her family. They never got along when they were kids so they don't really talk anymore. Even when there was a baby around, my mom never wanted me to hold them. She always said they were too messy."

"I have no idea how Melissa is as good as this as she is. I can't figure out where she picked up how to be a mother so well. I guess I haven't been around her and my mom that much when they're with him but Melissa makes it look so easy. He's been crying all the freaking' time, but I've never heard her complain once. Which is unusual for her. And then there's me. As soon as she walked out the door, he started screaming and I realized I didn't know how to do any of that stuff like hold him or feed him or even change his diaper. I panicked. I panicked and I came here because I knew that if anyone was going to help me figure this kid out, it was going to be you."

"I mean, getting him into the car seat was one of the scariest things I have ever experienced." Wren laughed, and was relieved when he saw her smile too. "I'm not joking!" she insisted. "I was so scared I was going to drop him or hurt him. And don't even get me started on putting that thing in the car. You would think someone with an IQ like mine would be able to figure out how to strap a car seat in but apparently not. It took me twenty minutes, and the whole time he was just crying and crying and nothing I did made him stop. If you could have seen the faces I was making at him…"

There was no point in fighting it. The image of Spencer completely bewildered by a car seat made him laugh and it only took a couple seconds before she joined him. "You probably made it worse," he managed to get out between snickers. She pretended to glare at him and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. They fell into a comfortable silence as she leaned against him and let her head fall onto his shoulder.

"He'd drinking that really fast," she remarked. "You were right. I guess he was hungry. How did you know?"

"Intuition I guess. I have a cousin who has twins . My mum used to watch them a lot when they were first born and I suppose I picked up on it."

He felt her nod against him. "Do you want to try?"

Spencer hesitated. "It's not like I'm going anywhere. I'll be right here the entire time."

He watched her face as she debated with herself before finally nodding. "I guess."

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she was going to be able to hold the baby. It was just a matter of getting him into her arms without freaking her out and scaring her even more. Surprisingly, it went pretty smoothly. She slipped her hands right where they needed to be and then she was holding him. Wren had to stop himself from laughing because of how awkward she looked, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

After he was sure had adjusted to holding the baby, Wren asked, "Do you want to try feeding him now?"

This time Spencer didn't hesitate. She just nodded and held out her hand to grab the bottle. Wren didn't say anything, instead just watching as she mimicked everything he had done before. As soon as the baby took to the bottle, she relaxed a little bit against the couch, obviously relieved that nothing had gone wrong.

And so an hour passed, and then two, and Wren could tell that Spencer was actually beginning to feel comfortable with the infant. It wasn't until after they had covered burping him and changing him, that their conversation strayed away from the logistics of child care.

The baby, or Taylor as Wren had finally gotten her to call him after what seemed like endless prodding, had begun to cry and Spencer had immediately handed him over, obviously unsure about what to do to help him. Wren had taken him, walked him around the room three times humming a tune his father had sang to him when he was little, and just like that the baby was asleep in his arms once again.

"You're really good with kids." Spencer's eyes followed him, an almost jealous look on her face.

"I would hope so," he answered. "I can't wait to have my own."

The awkwardness in the room skyrocketed as soon as the words left his mouth. "One day," he added, hoping to undo what he had just done. But Spencer's face was already frozen in a look of panic. He shook his head to himself, unable to believe his own stupidity. Way to freak her out when they'd only been sleeping together for a couple weeks and fooling around for no longer than a month. They weren't even officially dating and he was pretty certain that she would never want that for them anyway.

"You want to have kids?" Wren was a bit surprised at the question. He had always assumed that it was obvious that one day he would be a dad. There was no future he could envision that left him without kids.

"Of course I do." As an afterthought he added, "Don't you?" He had known that she had her fair share of family issues, but that only made her seem like she would be even better at parenting when she got to that point.

Spencer shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." She gave no real explanation, and when he held the sleeping baby out for her to take, she shook her head, avoiding eye contact and picking absently at a nonexistent thread of the baby blanket. "I wouldn't be good at it."

Wren laughed. "I don't think that's the case. I mean, if Melissa can figure it out, I'm sure you'd do a stand up job."

"A stand up job?"

Wren shrugged. "You know what I mean." The only response he got was her rolling her eyes. "You would be good at it, you know." Spencer continued to look anywhere but him, appearing unwilling to keep talking about it. But just when he was about to change the subject, she spoke again.

"I don't think that some people realize they're not meant to be parents, you know? And I think that if I'm one person who is able to see that in myself, then that's a kid or a couple kids who don't have to grow up with parents who don't actually know how to parent."

His head bobbed slightly in agreement. "But you're not actually one of those people. You just think you are because you don't have any experience with kids. I think that one day you could make a splendid mother to somebody. Just because you're not learning until now doesn't mean you couldn't make up for lost time."

From his position pacing the room, he saw her staring at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I simply mean that you could start by actually holding him and spending time with him."

"I do spend time with him! I fed him today and I changed him."

Her petulant tone almost made him laugh. Almost. Except he could also hear an undercurrent of remaining insecurity and fear. "That's fantastic. But being a parent also means you have to be there for your kids when they need something that isn't food or water or clothes. You have to want to spend time with them and just love them sometimes."

"I guess my parents missed that memo," she muttered just loudly enough that he could barely make out her words. With that one sentence, everything clicked into place. He'd figured out pretty early on that the Hastings put a lot of pressure on their daughters, but he had always hoped that they hadn't started that until the girls were older, at least in middle school or high school. But suddenly it was occurring to him that maybe that was something they had grown up with. He remembered Spencer saying something her mother not really mothering, but he hadn't actually thought she was being serious. He had thought she just needed to rant and get things off her chest. But piecing together a lot of the other things she had said, it was evident that she hadn't been raised in the most loving of environments.

"Spencer, you are one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever met. In fact you might be the most, with the exception of my own mother." Wren was glad to see that she had the decency to at least pretend to laugh at his attempt at a joke. "You might not ever have kids, but don't let that happen because you think you would be bad at it. I'm not joking when I say that any child would be lucky to have you. Do you know how many babies I see born at the hospital who would be in such better shape if they were going home with parents like you? Just because your parents never showed their love for you the way they should have, that doesn't mean you'll be the same way. I don't think you could be that way even if you tried."

Even though he had just been trying to be honest with her, he could practically sense the waves of uncomfortableness coming off of her. Before she could answer him and make things even more weird between them, he held out his arms again. "Now do you want to hold him?"

There was a slightly shocked expression on her face as she nodded mutely and held out her arms to take the child. It quickly turned to barely suppressed smile as she looked down at the child in her arms. "Do you hear how charming he can be when he wants to be? It's no wonder I can barely keep my clothes on when I'm around him."

Upon hearing what she said, Wren was torn. Half of him wanted to laugh and make a joke about how she always had to make things sexual, even when he was trying to be serious. But that instinct was shut up by the other half of him which was too busy being amazed at the fact that Spencer was actually talking to the baby. Not only was it the first time Wren had heard her speak directly to him, but she wasn't even speaking in her normal tone of voice. Of course, she wasn't one to use the usual motherease on him, but her voice was softer and just barely higher than it normally was. In the end, he chose not to say anything, instead just plopping down next to her and sighing as he rested his head against the back of his couch.

"You do know how to ruin a moment, don't you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her grin. "If the situation calls for it." A silence fell between them and before he knew it, Spencer was curled up next to him and the baby was in her arms and for a second, he could almost envision a future just like the moment he was living in.

* * *

He was woken up by Spencer landing on top of him roughly. Somehow in his sleep, he had managed to shift to a laying down position and all of the sudden, she was on top of him. Not only was she sitting on him, but she was also bouncing up and down, with a carefree look on her face that he was still getting used to since school had ended. He was slightly worried that that look would go away once she started her classes at Hollis the next week, but he was trying to squash that fear and just be content with her as she was at the moment.

"You fell asleep."

Wren grunted. "It would appear so. And it would appear that one again, you've woken me up by pouncing on me."

"You know you can get a little grouchy when you're tired."

"And you know you can get a little grouchy when people don't agree with you."

He didn't need to open his eyes to know that Spencer would be looking down on him with one eyebrow raised. "Well someone's extra cranky today. And you're not even the one who got left alone with a newborn."

After hearing that, Wren peaked up at her through one eye. "Where is he?"

"He's over there." She nodded her head a place on the floor closer to the fireplace when she had laid out what looked like two blankets on the ground underneath of Taylor and then two baby blankets on top of him. "I didn't really want to put him on the floor but I figured the car seat wouldn't be too comfortable and you're bed was all the way upstairs and he might roll and of course, you have to be taking up the entire couch so I couldn't even lay with him here. I hope he's comfortable. I tried to make sure there was enough cushioning underneath of him and that he was warm enough. You don't think he's cold do you?"

This time, Wren snorted. "It's June, the air's not on and he's got two blankets covering him. Plus a long sleeved onesie. I'm sure he's not cold."

There was a beat of silence as Spencer kept looking at the baby. "Well, you don't think he'll get to warm, do you?"

Wren laughed. "I think he'll be just fine. What's with the sudden turnaround anyway?"

Her only reaction was to blink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about the fact that before I went to sleep, you barely looked comfortable holding him and now you're acting completely motherly to him."

Spencer shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I just thought about what you said and decided you might be right."

"I usually am," he interjected.

Smacking him on the arm, Spencer continued. "I still don't want kids of my own, but he is my nephew and I do want to be there for him. I mean, he's going to need all the help he can get growing up in my family."

"Especially with Melissa for his mother."

Spencer's eyes widened in shock as Wren grinned. He made sure to avoid talking poorly about the older girl in front of Spencer, but unbeknownst to her, he still wasn't the biggest fan, even though he had helped her out on multiple occasions. In preparation for whatever Spencer was going to say back to him, he slid his hands up her shirt and caressed her skin, hoping she would lose her train of thought.

"Are you really going to try and start something right now?"

"I think you're the one trying to start something. You're the one who sat on me and woke me up."

"I was bored. What do you do while they're sleeping?"

Spencer looked down at him, completely serious and waiting to hear his answer. Not for the first time, Wren was at a loss for words. Whenever she seemed unsure about anything, it always caught him off guard. Most of the time, she was just so confident of herself and her knowledge that when she didn't know something, he always had to take a minute to figure out how he would explain it to her.

"Uh, I guess you could do whatever you wanted to do, within reason."

Spencer's eyes lit up.

"Except that. We can't do that."

Instantly, her mouth turned into a pout. "What? Why not?"

"Because there's a baby on the floor right next to us?"

Her eyes peeked down at the child and then back to Wren. "He's asleep," she answered with a flat tone.

"I see that. But he might wake up and see us."

"See us? He's two and a half weeks old. Even if he did see us, he wouldn't know what he was seeing. Or even remember that he had seen it."

"But he would still see us!"

She rolled her eyes, grazing her nails down his chest. "You're thinking too much into this. Which is really saying something because I over think everything I do."

"I'm not over thinking it. I'm not even considering it. I can't have sex in front of a baby, no matter how old they are."

Again, she rolled her eyes. "Well it's not like we can go upstairs. Melissa didn't give me baby monitors or anything."

"It won't be the end of the world if we can't have sex right this second. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for that later. What time did she say she would be back anyway?"

"We have plenty of time for that later?" She questioned. "Are you actually a guy?" Wren laughed but refused to let her bait him.

As Spencer cleared her throat, Wren shifted to sit up, moving her with him so that she was sitting on his lap. "She said she'd be back at the house around 4. So I'm going to leave around 3 just to be safe. I couldn't exactly tell her I was bringing him here."

The couch was firm against his back as he pulled her against him. "If I'm correct, that means we have approximately 49 minutes until you have to go."

"To…?" The expression on her face was so hopeful, Wren almost gave in to her right then. But then Taylor made a noise in his sleep and Wren snapped out of it. There was no way even she could convince him to fool around with the baby there.

"No, not that."

She sighed heavily. "You're definitely not like other guys," she muttered bitterly, causing him to laugh once more.

"I guess you could put it that way." He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

Right away, Spencer's face went from playful to wary but she tried to make a joke out of it anyway.

"You're passport expired and you're being deported back to England."

His hands tightened around her thighs as he laughed. "No. Well, you're partially right."

"What?" she exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

It would have been hilarious for him to let her believe her assumption but in the end, the panic that was evident in her voice stopped him. "I'm not being deported. But I am going back home to visit my family next week."

"You are?" she asked quietly, not looking too pleased when he nodded his affirmation. "How come? Any special occasion?"

Wren shrugged. "Just my birthday. And the fact that I haven't seen sister or my mum in quite a bit."

"Next week is your birthday?" If he wasn't mistaken, she sound almost hurt when she asked him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not something that's really come up between us."

She nodded. "I still wish you would have said something sooner. Were you ever planning on telling me?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know." Even though Spencer was obviously a little bit irritated by his lack of information, she still smiled at his indecision. Before she could go on, he reached out and grabbed her hand, not letting go, but squeezing it tightly. Her eyes finally met his.

"Well. Which is it?"

Wren thought for a second. "Probably not. Not until I absolutely had to anyway."

"At least your honest. Why not?"

"Because I was trying my very hardest to avoid seeing the look."

"What look?"

"The look that's on your face right now. Like I kicked a puppy or something."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking at you like you kicked a puppy. I'm just surprised. I wish you would have said something sooner. I also really would have liked to know that your birthday was next week before today."

Clearing his throat, Wren answered, "It's just not something I like to advertise. Birthdays aren't all that important to me." It seemed like she accepted his answer, but she still didn't look happy. "Spencer?"

"Yeah?" Her eyes stayed trained on the back of his hand, where the nail marks from the previous day had disappeared completely. "What exactly is bothering you?" Was it the fact that he wouldn't be there for the sex? The escape from her house. Or maybe it was that not she felt obligated to get him a gift. Or maybe, just maybe, she would actually miss him he thought hopefully.

"Nothing." A moment of silence and then, "When will you be back?"

" A week from Wednesday."

"Wednesday? When are you leaving?"

"My flight leaves at Tuesday morning."

"Tuesday? That's in two days! When were you planning on telling me? When you flight landed?"

Wren could see that she was pissed. And upset. And her volume was starting to reach a point that might wake the baby. "I'm very sorry. I didn't realize that you would care this much. But I requested off from the hospital ages ago. Before you and I started…"

Spencer nodded. "I know. I know. I just… I've gotten used to seeing you every day. Not just seeing you but…"

"Using me for my body," he finished for her with a laugh.

"Not using you… but basically, yes." Using his thumb to trace the redness that was spreading across her cheeks, he laughed.

"So you're angry that I'm going, not because you're going to miss me, but because you've gotten used to using me for my body."

"No! I don't use you for your body! I mean I have gotten used to being able to sleep with you whenever I want, except when there's a baby in the room apparently, but I am going to miss you. I just wish you would have told me sooner."

His hand that was gripping hers tightened around her waist. "I sincerely apologize. And I promise to make it up to you."

"You do?" she asked suggestively. Her body twisted and before he even knew she was moving, she was straddling him with her arms around his neck. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Without letting him answer, she pressed her lips against his, biting down gently until he opened his mouth to hers.

And then a noise came from across the room. Again. Wren pushed her back gently. "Just because you made me feel guilty for not telling you sooner, that doesn't mean I feel bad enough to do anything with him in the room."

"Mhm." Spencer let her head fall against his neck. "You're impossible."

"So I've been told before."

"Can I at least drive you to the airport?"

Wren nodded. "Of course. Why don't you stay here Monday night? That's when I can really make it up to you. As long as you don't have to play emergency babysitter again."

Leaning back to look at him, she said, "I will make sure I don't. How are you going to make it up to me anyway?"

"I'm not completely sure yet. I have a couple of things in mind but I guess you're just going to have to wait and see."

"Come on. I hate not knowing things."

Wren laughed. "Oh, I know you do. That's what makes this all that more fun." Her only response was to glare at him.

The back of his head rested against the couch as he was given the chance to actually take in her appearance for the first time that day. It was adorable the way she was so disheveled. She must have not gotten a chance to get dressed that morning because all she was wearing was a pair of cotton shorts and a cut t-shirt that fell off her shoulder in a way that made him want to kiss her there and there and there across her torso. And from the looks of it, there was absolutely nothing under the shirt..

His hands ran up her sides as he completely forgot about the baby. They moved to her neck, massaging her skin gently. As her eyes fluttered shut and she moaned softly, Wren was was hit with the same urgent wave of desire he had felt for her the previous morning. Only this time, he knew she wouldn't stop him if he tried to do a fast take over.

Roughly, he kissed her, holding the back if her neck tightly. She responded eagerly, and Wren was certain that it would only be a matter of seconds before one of their shirts was off. Then only a couple more before both of their shirts and quite possibly her pants were littering the floor.

And then the baby cried. She froze against him and he flopped back against the couch with a groan of frustration. "Of course."

Spencer smiled, slightly out of breath. "I'll get him." She stood up from his lap, making him groan again. Just as he had been about to give in, that's when he had decided to start crying. Why was he not surprised?

He struggled to get his hormones under control, watching intently as Spencer bent over the baby. Unlike when she had arrived there that morning, there was only the slightest bit of hesitation before he was in her arms and she was bouncing him just as Wren had taught her.

Wren couldn't have felt more relieved about her change of heart. It hadn't escaped his notice that up until that morning, she had been calling the baby 'it' instead of 'him' and always changed the subject when Wren had asked about him or Melissa. It hadn't taken more than two days for him to stop bringing it up, instead waiting for her to say something if she needed to.

"I should probably be getting him back soon. I don't want Melissa to freak if she gets home and we're not there.'

No. There was no way she could just leave him like that. Not after she'd spent so much time practically begging. But then, he saw the way she was looking at Taylor. The way her face had softened towards him and gentle way she rubbed his back to try and calm him down.

"You'll be here tomorrow?" The change of attitude made Spencer look up with a slightly confused, but generally pleased look on her face.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Wren decided to stay on the couch and just observe her actions, only speaking when she asked him direct questions about things like the car seat. It wasn't long before the baby was in his seat, the diaper bag was packed, and all of the odd toys and bottles that had been scattered throughout his living room had disappeared.

He walked her to the doorway, pausing only to brush his lips softly against hers before watching her go to her car. If it had actually taken her fifteen minutes that morning to get his car seat buckled in, she had greatly improved in the time since then. Within thirty seconds, she was shutting the door after the baby and climbing into the driver's side. And then, with a wave back towards Wren, she was gone.

Wren sighed as he shut his front door and wandered back into the living room. At least he had Monday to look forward to.

* * *

As soon as Spencer had gotten halfway down the block, she heard her phone ring to let her knew she had a new text message. At a stop sign, she picked it up to check. Upon seeing the blocked number, her heart sank. There was only one thing that could mean. And sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the message waiting for her.

**Spencer- **

**Playing house with your sister's ex-fiance and baby? I wonder what she would have to say about that.**

**-A**

* * *

**There it is! Please, please, please remember to review! Nothing makes me want to write more than knowing people are enjoying the story. **


	8. The Goodbye

**A/N: So I'm sort of nervous my story is going to get removed for not fitting the M rating description. If I get the time, I'm going to go through and try to cut some stuff out and make it a little less MA. Hopefully it won't get taken down in the meantime. Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Spencer had a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach that was usually reserved for the minutes leading up to a test she thought she hadn't studied for enough or the time right before she got into a fight with someone. Of course, the feeling wasn't there for either of those reasons. Her classes at Hollis didn't start until the next day and she was getting along almost perfectly with everyone in her life. Even Melissa, for a change.

What had her feeling so unsure was that fact that this night felt like a date. An actual date. With Wren. Who she wasn't actually dating. When she had been at his house with the baby the day before and he had asked her to stay there the next night, she hadn't thought anything of it. It's not like it would be the first time.

But then there were the texts he had started sending her. Asking her what she liked for dessert, if there was a certain drink she preferred. She had no idea if they were going out or Wren was cooking at home but she sort of hoped it was the latter. She wasn't sure she was ready to handle being in public with him. Or having to answer any questions that might come her way if people made the connection between her, him, and her sister.

When she had been with Toby, they had never gone on a date. In the beginning, it was mostly due to the fact that half of the town thought he had killed Alison and then the other half thought she had. Her dad had been right in saying it wasn't good for them to be seen together, at least not until things blew over. But they had fallen into a routine of just hanging out. At her house, in his truck, any other private and secluded spot they could find to just be with each other. That routine had stuck with them even after it didn't matter that they were together anymore. She could tell that he would never have been comfortable taking her out and it didn't bother her to stay in. Of course, that left her completely unprepared to deal with Wren and his mysterious plans to make up for their lack of intimacy the day before.

Another thing that was eating away at her was the text she had gotten from -A. She was still unsure about telling Aria and Hanna. They both seemed so content with Ezra and Caleb respectively, and Spencer felt bad shattering the illusion of peace they were under. Because that's exactly what it was. An illusion.

In the back of her mind, Spencer had begun to suspect that their assailant wasn't working alone a long time ago. There was just no possible way that one person could be so on top of the four of them, constantly watching and collecting things to use against them. Still, she hadn't said anything to the other because she hadn't wanted to scare them even worse than they already were.

So she had kept the text a secret from Aria and Hanna, hoping to any god that would listen that it was a fluke. That somehow she had imagined it or dreamt it or something. It was unlike her to ignore things until they went away, but in that case, she saw no better option. She refused to burden either of those two, and Emily was completely out of the question. As a matter of fact, she was completely out of the equation it seemed, building houses in Haiti in an attempt to move past the entire Maya situation.

She fiddled nervously with her hair, twisting the long strands around her fingers in an attempt to make her curls stay in the summer heat. Leaning closer to the mirror, she examined her face for flaws and made sure her make-up looked natural and perfect. This was ridiculous. Wren had seen her with nothing on her face countless times. He'd seen her hair wet and knotty and all mussed up from having sex and sleeping without brushing it. There was no logical reason for her to be so particular about her appearance this night.

She stepped back from the mirror, analyzing the rest of her body. It was hot, even with the central air on, probably because she couldn't resist leaving her bedroom windows open. There was just something about summer that made her need to feel the fresh air, especially after they had found out how Ali really died.

There was something different about her reflection. The only clothing she had on right then was her strapless bra and underwear, both simple and black. She drew the line at wearing any sort of fancy undergarments for whatever Wren had planned. That would most definitely make it look like she was trying too hard or reading more into this than she should.

Her eyes worked their way down her own body, taking in the way one part of her flowed into the next. For years, she had listened to people telling her how jealous of her body they were Even Ali used to say it. When she wasn't telling Spencer she was too skinny, anyway. Those compliments had always caught her off guard. It wasn't like she actually tried to look the way she did. She ate whatever she wanted and the only exercise she had was field hockey and her run everyday, which was more of an escape method than anything else.

She touched her throat gently, letting her hand rest on the top of her chest as she took in her faint tan lines. Taking every chance she could to be in the sun, her skin was already beginning to darken. Of course, she would never be like Emily, or even Hanna for that matter, but at least she wouldn't remain as pale as Aria did every summer. If there was anyone who knew how to use sunscreen, it was her. Ali had always teased her relentlessly about that in the summer, unable to let go of the fact that there was just no hope of Aria ever tanning.

Spencer's hand dropped to her stomach, which was just as flat and smooth as it always had been. She took in her modest curves, remembering how to used to secretly wish her body was like Emily and Ali's. Sometimes, she had felt like she never grown out of her awkward tomboyish figure while they had advanced to the land of boobs and hips and real figures.

The next thing thing she focused on were her legs, long and thin and now marked on the inside of her thighs by Wren. For most of her teenage life, she had been under the impression that hickeys were tacky and juvenile. But when it came to the ones left by him, they were just…hot. She loved that she had this proof on her that he wanted her. Her and her body. As long as they were easily hidden by her clothes, he could leave whatever mark he wanted on her. Although she should should probably tell him to cool it a little bit; it was an especially hot summer and she knew she was going to be wearing her bathing suit more and more the hotter it got.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the time on her computer screen. Shit. She was verging on running late. She yanked the dress she was planning on wearing off the hanger hanging from her closet door and unzipped it. It was simple, just a blue, white and yellow strapless dress that was different than her normal style. That was probably why she had chosen to buy it. That and Hanna. She had bought it on a whim when she was shopping with her blond friend at the beginning of the summer. Hanna had practically insisted on Spencer buying it and once Hanna's mind was made up, there was just no use in fighting it anymore.

Stepping into the dress, she pulled it up to where it needed to be and reached behind her to try and zip it.

"Need some help, Sis?"

Spencer jumped and spun around, startled to see her sister standing in the doorway.

"Melissa. What are you doing here?"

The older girl's eyebrows shot up. "Last time I checked, I've been living here."

Spencer squeezed her eyes shut. Spending the last year dealing with -A had made her extremely edgy, and now that she had gotten another text, the feeling had only been magnified.

"No, I know. I just meant…when did you get here?" If Melissa had seen her in nothing but her underwear, then there was no doubt she had seen myriad of blemishes on her legs.

"Just a second ago," Melissa said, offering no other indicator of what she had seen. "So did you want me to help you or not?"

Spencer nodded silently. There was no reason not to accept her help. She turned back around and faced the mirror, watching the reflection as Melissa walked up behind her.

"Where's the…Taylor?" Once again, Melissa's eyebrows shot up and Spencer wanted to kick herself. Or Wren. If he hadn't been so insistent upon calling the baby by his name, Melissa wouldn't have noticed her acting any different.

"He's sleeping." Melissa zipped up the dress but didn't back away, instead choosing to look at Spencer in the mirror.

"You know, I was always jealous of how beautiful you were, even when we were younger."

It took a moment for what she had just said to sink into Spencer's mind. Melissa admitting that she was actually jealous of Spencer for something?

"That's ridiculous," Spencer muttered. "You're gorgeous. You've always been the pretty one." And the smart one. And the all around, just better one.

Melissa shook her head. "But you're the one that has always made people look twice. Even when you were little, when mom and dad introduced us to someone, they would glance at you once and just assume that you were another little rich girl, but then they would look again because of how striking you were. You are."

Spencer's mouth opened, but nothing came out. It sounded like Melissa was giving her a compliment, but when it came to her sister, compliments were usually quickly followed by an insult. So she just continued to look warily at the older girl's reflection, waiting for whatever she was going to say next.

"You don't have to look at me like I'm going to bite your head off," Melissa remarked with a smile. "I'm just trying to be nice."

Spencer nodded, unsure about what she should say. Finally, Melissa backed away, turning and looking around the room. "I know I already said this, but thank you for taking him yesterday. You really helped me out."

Melissa's back was to her until she turned again and sat on the edge of Spencer's bed, her eyes still wandering over the things filling the room. "It really wasn't a problem," Spencer said slowly. Her eyes caught the time on her computer again and she saw that she was officially late now. Her eyes wandered the room, looking for where she had set down her phone. She was sure Wren would text her when she didn't show up when she was supposed to.

It was on the bed next to Melissa. For a second, Spencer panicked. If he texted her and Melissa saw who it was from, this newfound kindness would be out the window before Spencer could say a word.

"Spencer, I've been wanting to talk to you about something."

Skeptically, Spencer looked away from her phone to her sisters's face, "What is it?"

"I know you told me a long time ago that you wanted the fighting between us to end, but I don't think I was ready to let go of the grudge I had against you then. I spent years resenting you for everything you did. I thought you were always trying to better than me and outdo me so mom and dad would love you more."

"Melissa, I never wanted that. I never wanted to be better than you. I wanted to be _as_ good. It was never my goal to make mom and dad love me more than you. I just wanted them to love me as much as you," Spencer cut in.

For a second, she could tell that she had caught Melissa off guard by the way the older girl stared at her. Eventually, though, she shook her head and looked away. "I know. I know that now. And ever since I had Taylor, I can't help but regret all the years we wasted being enemies. I remember when we used to be friends. We used to play together all the time and I don't know what happened that changed that, but I know I want to go back to just being sisters."

Spencer nodded, still unsure about whether or not Melissa had any ulterior motives. "I would like that too," she finally managed to say.

"Good." Melissa smiled at her and it looked genuine. "I was thinking maybe one night next week we could get mom to watch the baby and go out and do something fun. What do you think?" She certainly wasn't wasting any time in proving her sincerity.

Once again, Spencer was astounded by the word's coming out of her sister's mouth. She nodded. "That would be...nice."

"Great." Melissa stood up and walked to the door. At the threshold, she turned and looked back at Spencer. "And don't think I don't know what you've been doing lately."

In her chest, Spencer was certain her heart stopped before beginning to race. "What?" she squeaked out.

"I'm not oblivious like mom and dad. You almost never stay here anymore and you seem more relaxed than I've seen you since about kindergarten. It wasn't hard for me to figure out that you're seeing someone."

Spencer breathed an internal sigh of relief. So Melissa knew she had been with someone but not who.

"Can you just promise me something?"

Tilting her head to the side, Spencer waiting to hear whatever Melissa had to ask. "I can also tell that things are more…physical with this person than they ever got with Toby." Immediately, Spencer felt what had to be all of the blood in her body rush to her face as she avoided making eye contact with Melissa. "I just wanted to make sure you were being…careful. I know mom put us both on birth control when we were younger to prevent any…accidents. But we both know she's not one to sit down and talk about the emotions are involved with that kind of thing."

"Just promise me you'll be careful." At that point, Spencer would have been more than happy to have a huge hole open in the earth and swallow her whole. But still, Melissa kept going. "If you ever need anything, even if it's just to talk, I'm here for you. I was serious about us actually being sisters again."

Concentrating on making her heart return to its normal pace, Spencer nodded at the growing. "Th-Thanks," she stuttered out.

"I'm guessing you wouldn't be willing to tell me who this mystery boy is?"

And just a she had gotten her heart under control, it dropped again. "I, we, it's not, we're not." Spencer took a deep breath as she struggled to get the words coming out of her mouth to stop tripping over each other. "It' a new thing and we don't really want anyone to know yet," she finally managed to choke out.

Melissa nodded and maybe Spencer was imagining it, but it almost looked like the older girl had an understanding expression on her face. "I figured," she answered. "Whoever it is must be really good. I swear it's like you're a different person lately. Who knew that all these years you've just been sexually repressed."

Unable to stop the look of shock, Spencer's gaze snapped straight to Melissa, who was just grinning mischievously. She had never, not once, heard her sister even joke about sex in the slightest bit.

"Anyway, have fun on your date tonight. And good luck with your first day of classes tomorrow. Will you be around for dinner?"

Spencer nodded. She was fairly certain there would never be another coherent sentence out of her mouth. Her mind was never going to recover from the conversation she had just that.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then." With that, Melissa walked out of the room.

Spencer sank onto the bed. It had to be Melissa's hormones. There was no way this was going to be normal for the older girl from now on. She had post pregnancy hormones raging inside of her telling her to be nice to Spencer and make oddly sexual references about her.

Besides her, her cell phone vibrated. She glanced down and saw Wren's name and the first line of his message scroll across the top of the screen. The fact that if Melissa had come in just two minutes later she would have seen it made Spencer shudder. Whatever was going on with her sister, Spencer hoped it lasted for awhile. Even is that meant keeping Wren a secret indefinitely.

* * *

By the time she got to Wren's house, she was nervous, anxious, tense, apprehensive and every other variation of those words she could think of. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that she was being completely irrational about the entire thing, but for some reason, she just couldn't fight it. Even Melissa had picked up on the fact that the night had a date-like air about it.

Letting herself in, she was greeted by something that smelled good. Really good. It looked like they would be eating in. The part of her that had been worried about being seen in public was relieved. But not completely.

"Wren?" she called out. Where was he?

She wandered further in, through the kitchen and then into the living room, dropping her book bag on the floor next to the stairs.

"Wren?" This time she was a little louder.

"Right here." As soon as she looked in the direction his voice was coming from, she saw him loping down the stairs. Thankfully, he wasn't dressed up at all, just wearing his normal khaki shorts and a button up. In fact, it made her look slightly overdressed.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, crossing the room to stand in front of her. "I was just taking care of…" He glanced back up the stairs. "Nevermind. Are you hungry?"

Spencer nodded, even though she wasn't sure that she was. It was true that she should have been since she hadn't eaten anything since early that morning. But for some illogical reason, she had been struck with a case of nerves worse than most she'd experienced before.

"I'm glad," he said. "Did you want to help me finish preparing dinner?"

Nodding mutely, her gaze wandered back to the kitchen. "What are-"

Wren cut her off, sharply pulling her against him and kissing her. After the initial shock had worn off, she couldn't help but relax a bit. This, at least, she was used to. When he finally stepped back, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and grinned. "Hello," he said softly.

"Hi." For some reason, a bit of shyness crept through her when she answered him. "What was that for?"

Wren shrugged and placed his hands on either side of her neck before sliding them down her arms. The feeling gave her goosebumps, and she had to stop herself from visibly shivering. "Wasn't for anything, really. I've just been wanting to see you for ages."

In her mind, Spencer lingered on the fact that he seemed unwilling to say that he missed her. Had she missed him? It had only been a day. But she had, although she wouldn't be the one to admit that to him. Shaking her head and deciding to steer the conversation to a more playful manner, she rolled her eyes. "You saw me yesterday."

"I know. But I didn't get to see you the way I wanted to yesterday."

Spencer froze like she normally did when he said something she hadn't been expecting. Of course, his tone was light and carefree and playful, but the look in his eyes was differentt. It wasn't hard for her to figure out when he was deliberately being dirty. His eyes darkened and narrowed on her face, a slight smirk always on his mouth like he was trying to goad her into a rise.

Before she had a chance to answer, something began to beep from the kitchen. Reluctantly, they both looked towards it before Wren stepped away. "I have to get the lasagna out of the oven."

"Lasagna?" she asked to his retreating back.

From the kitchen, he called back, "It's vegetarian. Is that okay? You mentioned before that you stopped eating meat  
."

Spencer nodded, even though he couldn't see her. She couldn't believe he remembered that. It had only been a passing comment one morning when they were laying in bed before getting ready. Most people needed to be told in a direct way and even then it continued to slip their mind. It had taken Hanna almost a month before she remembered.

"How did you remember that?" she said quietly, not even positive he would hear her.

"What's that?"

Shaking her head, Spencer looked away. It was almost too much for her. Fuck buddies didn't make each other dinner or remember what foods they preferred or act like they were going on a date. Did they? Even though it was new territory for her, she was pretty sure that there relationship was supposed to be much more detached than it was turning out to be. More dirty and less sentimental. They spent a lot of their time together just talking, even if it was before or after sex.

"Did you say something?" She had been so caught up in her worries, she hadn't even noticed him come to stand in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. He had pot holders on both hands and Spencer couldn't help but find him adorable. When she just shook her head in response, Wren began to look concerned. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yes. Of course." There was nothing sure about her tone. She didn't even sound convincing to herself. For a second, she worried that he would press the issue, try to make her talk about what was bothering her, but after a second he glanced back into the kitchen.

"Well, dinner's ready. Want to eat?"

Nodding, Spencer moved toward the kitchen, still worrying about what was going on between them. Was him making dinner for her a sign? Did he was to take their relationship to another level? She wasn't sure she could handle him dropping something like that on her right then. Especially not after she had been worrying about it all day.

She shook her head. The only thing she could do was try to enjoy dinner and hope he wasn't about to profess undying love her her. If that happened, she would probably be out the door faster than he could explain himself.

Over the course of dinner, Spencer was able to reign in her emotions more than before. Wren was a good cook, which didn't surprise her in the slightest; he was the kind of person who was good at everything he did. But there was a part of her that wished he had at least messed up that. Not a large part though. She was full and content and despite her nerves that had been coming and going, there was no where else she would rather be at that very moment.

Since they had eaten on the couch because he had no real dining room or kitchen table, it was easy for them to slip into their version of normalcy after they had finished. Their plates were piled on the coffee table next to them, her feet were in her lap and they were doing what they always ended up doing when they weren't having sex. Talking.

For the most part, their conversation had been light, not really going into anything deep. She was infinitely curious about his life back home and questioned him about what he would do in England and which of his family members he was most excited to see.

As they lapsed into silence, Spencer noticed that Wren had a look on his face that she had seen before. One that said he had something to say or ask, but was nervous of her response. Immediately, Spencer felt all of her nervousness return.

"Is everything okay today?"

That was the second time he had asked her that since she had gotten to his house. Clearly, she wasn't doing a good job at hiding her emotions. Even so, she still didn't want to confess that to him. "Yeah, yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

Wren shrugged. "You've just seemed a bit…off I guess. Did something happen at home?"

Shaking her head, Spencer said, "No. Not really. Melissa just said some things that I wasn't expecting." Would it really be so bad to talk to him about that? They usually avoided the topic of her older sister. "She said she wanted us to be more like sisters. She even asked me to go out somewhere with her next week."

From what she could see, Wren didn't look too surprised. "What do you think caused the sudden turn around?"

"I have no idea. Taylor? Hormones? She hit her head really hard and forgot why she's hated me all these years?"

Wren laughed. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's one of the first two options. Or maybe a combination of both."

Without even giving herself a chance to appreciate his humor, Spencer blurted out, "Was this a date?" and then immediately regretted it. Once again, her tendency to ruin perfectly nice evenings was coming out.

"Did you want it to be a date?"

Spencer paused. She had sort of expected him to be thrown off by her question. "No. Not really. I don't think that would be a good idea with…" Toby. Melissa. Mona. Taylor. School. The new -A. Her parents. "Everything else going on right now."

"It wasn't a date then." After spending all day agonizing over it, he had made it clear within a minute. Hadn't he?

"Then what was it?"

Wren grinned. "Whatever you wanted it to be?" It was more a question than a statement, leaving Spencer unsure as to what it actually meant. "Two friends enjoying a meal together? A goodbye dinner? A way of gathering energy before we spend all night upstairs. Or down here. Whichever you prefer."

She refused to let him distract her by his flippant answers. "So it wasn't a date?" she asked.

"Not if you didn't want it to be," he clarified.

"And what if I did?" Again, the words coming out of her mouth caught her off guard. And she was usually so good about thinking before she spoke.

"What if you did what?"

"What if I did want it to be a date?"

This time, Wren did pause, making Spencer vaguely proud of her ability to surprise him. "I thought you said you didn't want it to be one?"

"I did. But what if I had wanted it to be a date."

Wren considered it for a minute before saying, "Then it would have been a date, I suppose."

Spencer nodded, sated by his answer and deciding to let the issue drop. "Since this isn't a date, what are we going to do now?"

"Well, seeing as this is a not-date, I suppose we could watch a movie. Maybe play a game." Ridiculous. He didn't even own a TV and the only games he played were the ones with her head.

"Or we could go up to your room and do everything we're not going to be able to do for the next week."

"Or we could do that," he answered, jumping up eagerly and pulling her to her feet. It looked like that conversation was over.

On their way up the stairs, Spencer tried to imagine what it would be like to be in his room. It was usually kept neat, just some dirty clothes thrown by the closet and an unmade bed, so she knew he wouldn't have had to clean it for her. If he was really trying to be romantic, would there be candles? Rose petals? Music? But those things were for when you were being romantic after a date with your girlfriend, a fiance, a spouse. Not after dinner with someone who was mutually using you as what was basically a fuck buddy.

It was weird the way he was leading her up. Usually, they stumbled and laughed in a tangle of limbs the entire time, sometimes even falling halfway up and finishing there before actually making it to the bedroom. But this time. he had her by the hand and was towing her along, fully confident in the fact that she would never try to resist him.

As soon as he pulled her into the room, she barely had a chance to look around before he was pressing her back against the door, his body pressed into her. In that time, she was only able to spot one candle and the fact that the windows were open, both of which were new to her. She would have to remember to ask him later.

It didn't take very long for her to begin to feel normal again. She had a tendency to forget everything else when he kissed her, especially when his hand was also wandering under her dress at the same time.

"I do enjoy it when you don't wear pants," he said in between kisses.

"I guess I'll have to be pants-less more often then," she replied, smirking at him before brushing her lips back against his. This was common territory for them, making her feel by far more at ease then she had upon coming upstairs. That is until he pulled away from her once more and looked at her seriously.

"Spencer?"

Her eyes flicked back and forth between his, noticing that even though his tone was serious, the corners of his mouth were curved up. "What?"

"Do you trust me?"

Without hesitation, Spencer answered. "Of course I do." She quickly followed her statement by saying, "Why?" cautiously.

"There's something I've been wanting to help you with."

Rather than answer him, she just gazed at him skeptically. She liked routine more than anything. She didn't like it when people threw curveballs at her. Especially when all she wanted to do was have hot, sweaty sex a couple of times before falling asleep next to Wren. He was leaving the next day after all. That was a whole eight, almost nine, days he would be away from her.

It was almost like he was reading her mind because the next words out of his mouth were right along the lines of what she was thinking. "I'm going to be gone for quite a bit. Although, I'm sure it'll seem longer than it actually is. And I don't want you to…"

Without realizing what she was doing, she leaned closer to him, waiting to hear the whatever he was about to say. But it almost seemed like he was at a loss for words himself. Eventually, he pulled her away from the door, spinning her around so her back was to the bed, but remaining standing in the middle of the room.

"You trust me?" Spencer wasn't sure if it was more of a question or a statement, but either way, she found herself bobbing her head in agreement as soon as he had finished speaking.

Wren grinned and reached around her to find the zipper of her dress. He pulled it down slowly, watching for her reaction. In her head, she was positive that he was trying to do what he normally did, which was work her up slowly. The only problem with that was the astounding amount of impatience she had begun to experience as soon as his hands were on the skin of her back.

So she did the only thing she could think to do. Which was reach behind her back and finish the job herself. Pushing his hands away from her, she pushed the dress past her hip and let it drop to the floor. Her bra soon followed. She then set to work on undressing him, undoing his belt and pushing his pants down before unbuttoning his shirt swiftly. It was right around the time that his shirt hit the floor that his common sense kicked in. He grabbed her wrists tightly and said, "Someone seems a little eager tonight."

Spencer shrugged, weakly attempting to free her hands before giving up."Well, you are going to be gone for over a week. Who knows when we're going to be able to be together again."

Something that she said clearly sparked his interest. Not only did it capture his attention, but it seemed to get him back on track with whatever his goal was. He pushed her back towards the bed, laughing as she was caught off guard by it hitting the back of her knees and making her half sit, half fall onto the mattress.

"You told me something once, what seems like forever ago."

Spencer's mind jumped back through all of the conversations they had had that were neatly stored in her mind. But none of them stood out, probably because he was laying himself out next to her then so their bodies were side by side and making it incredibly difficult for her to concentrate.

Taking her hand in his so that his palm was against the back of hers, he guided both to her chest. "You told me that there were a lot of things you had never done."

Slowly, he trailed their linked fingers over the skin of her breast, causing her breath to hitch in the back of her throat as a vague memory flitting through her mind. "In particular, you told me there was something that you had tried to do before, but hadn't had much luck with."

There was a click in her mind, and instantly, Spencer knew exactly what he was trying to say to her. As soon as it was clear, she felt her cheeks begin to burn. It was true that that was one of the things she just couldn't do right. One of the very few things, anyway. But it was also something that had never really seemed all that necessary to her. Particularly, since she had started sleeping with Wren.

Still, underneath all of the nervous apprehension that was once again building inside of her, she felt a tiny bit of exhilaration begin to grow too. It felt weird for her hand to be where it was, mostly because Wren's was there too, but right at the same time. She could feel the weight of his touch, pressing hers down just enough that the sensation made her squirm.

Still using her hand, he traced his way across the center of her chest until her or his or both of their hands was cupping her other breast. "Do you want to stop?"

Spencer shook her head. There was nothing that could make her stop him now. "If you feel uncomfortable, we can stop."

Shaking her head again, she looked up at him. "No, I'm… I'm fine. I'm just…not used to this." To her embarrassment, she heard a slight tremor in her voice and she was sure he picked up on it too.

Thankfully, he didn't say anything, instead just lowering his mouth to her neck. As his lips moved across her skin, she finally felt herself relaxing. Again. At the same time, he squeezed her hand, urging her to use it. Tentatively, she rubbed against herself, letting his fingers guide her.

In her ear, she felt his breath as he began to talk. "Maybe it never worked before because you had no experience to back it up. If you feel the need while I'm away, just imagine me touching you. Think about all the times we've been together."

She nodded blindly, her eyes squeezed shut as their hands moved down her stomach. She wasn't completely sure who was the instigator behind the movement. Probably, it was both of them. Soon enough, they were at the edge of her underwear.

All of the sudden, Wren's hand separated from hers and she felt his body move away. "What…?"

Before she could get any further, he was tugging the material down her legs and throwing them off the bed. "Oh," was all she managed to say, before he was settling back into his original position. Her hand lingered awkwardly right below her belly button because she was unsure about what to do next. She was relieved when he placed his on top of her again and guided it downward.

Once again, his mouth was next to her ear. "Make sure you're comfortable." Unconsciously, she shifted on the bed, following his directions. He pushed on her middle finger until it was pressing down on the soft bundle of nerves there. A small noise escaped her throat, surprising even herself.

He pressed down again, gently moving her finger until it was circling around and around just like he had done countless times before. She's even tried it a couple times, just like she had told Wren, but to no avail. Every time, her slight natural awkwardness had flared up, even though she was alone and no one would ever know.

Still, it had never felt quite right. Not until she was with Wren. Who, without her noticing, had moved his hand and left her to continue on her own. When she actually thought about what was going on, she couldn't help but be proud of herself. A month and a half before, she could barely talk about this in front of him. Now, she was actually touching herself. While he…watched?

She cracked open an eye. Of course, Wren was smirking at her. She hadn't noticed him move so that he was kneeling on the bed, either. "You're a perve," she said as her hand began to slow, embarrassed by the breathless way she spoke. When had she gotten herself so worked up?

He just shook his head. "You are unbelievably gorgeous."

Spencer felt her face heating, even as her hand began to move again, much slower this time. "I think you were right," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered shut and she tilted her head back, spreading her legs open even more. "This never worked before because I couldn't get past what I was doing. But that was before I knew what it felt like to be with you."

He didn't answer and she didn't look to see his reaction. Like most guys, he was probably just content to watch her. Her hand moved faster, much faster than it had before, and for the first time ever, she felt like she was actually close to finishing it herself. Until she wasn't.

Since her eyes were shut, she didn't see Wren move back towards her. But she did open her eyes when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist, pulling it away from her body. "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you," he answered, casually replacing her fingers with his and copying their movements.

"But I thought that's what you wanted?" Since his actions were more urgent than hers had been, the end of her sentence was punctuated by a moan.

"So did I," he murmured against her neck. "I was wrong." His fingers pressed harder, creating a completely different feel than the one she had created for herself. "You have an entire week to do that. I've decided that, tonight, I'm going to do what I want to you."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around, since you're the one whose leaving me?"

His mouth found a spot on her neck behind her ear and bit down. "Maybe. We have all night and right now I know exactly what it is I want to do to you." As he sucked gently on the skin there, it crossed her mind that she would have to wear her hair down until the mark went away, something she hated having to do in the summer. But it didn't matter.

"And what exactly, would that be?" she asked, a smirk on her face. He didn't answer right away, instead finishing what he had started before pulling back.

"You don't know by now?"

"Show me." Her voice was wanton and coy and everything she had never thought she was capable of. When he made no move to listen to her, she caught his face between his hands and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Show me."

* * *

Much later that night, prior to falling asleep, a thought crossed Spencer's mind about what her issues had been about the entire day. Somehow, she had managed to convince herself that she was scared Wren was starting to feel something more for her than she was ready for. But right before drifting off, it occurred to her that maybe it was the other way around. Maybe she was scared because she was beginning to have feelings for him. What was even more scary was that it seemed like she'd felt like that for a very long time, but had never actually dealt with it.

* * *

The next morning, Spencer found herself alone in the bed when she woke up. Usually, she would at least hear Wren moving around and getting ready, but apparently she had been to spent to even notice. Standing up quickly, she stretched before wandering out of his room, tugging at the bottom of his shirt where it fell mid-thigh.

She padded down the steps lights, her eyes on her to phone to see if he had left her a message. There was nothing there from him, but there were two from Aria and one from Hanna asking if she could meeting up with them that night. Hopefully, they hadn't gotten any texts from this new -A like she had. She answered them quickly, not even having to look where she was going as she maneuvered the downstairs of his house. As she passed the piano, out of the corner of her eye she saw a white piece of paper laying on top that had never been there before. A note.

_Spencer,_

_Went to get breakfast and a few last minute items for my trip. Be back in a bit. _

_- Wren_

_P.S. I wouldn't mind you being naked upon my return. _

Spencer grinned at the last line and laid the note back down on the piano. He had such a way with words. Shaking her head, she smiled and looked around her.

For the first time since she had come downstairs, she noticed there was something off about the room. When they had gone to bed the night before, there had been dishes piled in the sink and on the coffee table, papers scattered on various surfaces around the room, and her books had been spilling out of her bag by the bottom of the stairs. Now, the sink was empty, the table tidied, and her bag neatly zipped and placed against the wall. Someone had been in the house.

That was the first thing that crossed her mind, anyway. Wren wasn't exactly messy, but, with the exception of his bookcase, he didn't keep his house as neat and orderly as Spencer would have liked. In fact, anytime she tried to clean anything up, he always ended up distracting her before she could get very far.

Upon closer inspection of the room, she noticed other things different. It looked like the mantle had been dusted, the piano wiped down, even the windows looked as though they had been Windexed.

There was a loud thud from behind her. Spencer whirled around, only to see no one was there. She heard another bump, her eyes zeroing in on the bathroom door. Someone was in there.

"Wren?" she called out hesitantly. What if it was -A? A soon as she thought it, she wanted to kick herself. Of course it wasn't -A. It really wouldn't match their MO to be using the bathroom while acting like a maid in the middle of making Spencer's life a living hell. Plus, Mona was locked up in a psyche ward three towns over.

There was no answer. Suddenly the door was flung open to reveal an older woman with a container of Lysol wipes in one hand and bag of trash in the other. The woman was too busy looking at the floor, she didn't even notice Spencer.

While everything was running through Spencer's mind, the woman in front of her looked up, startled to see her. Her hand flew to her chest. "Oh! Hello, dear. You must be Spencer. You gave me quite a fright."

The first thing Spencer noticed was that the woman had an accent. The second was that the woman didn't seem to think it was at all strange to show up at Wren's house unannounced. The third was that she knew her name.

"Who are you?' Spencer demanded loudly. "And how do you know my name?"

The woman smiled gently. "I'm Carolyn." There was a slight pause before she continued. "Kingston. I didn't mean to scare you. I only know your name because of that." She gestured to the note on the piano.

Spencer glanced behind her at the piano to see the note still sitting there. The note telling her to be naked when Wren got home. Which Wren's _mother_ had read She felt the blood rush to her face and when she turned around, she tried to avoid looking the woman in the face.

"Although, dear, I wasn't quite sure you were going to be a girl."

Wren's mother. Wren's mother was standing in the same room with her, seemingly trying to make a joke about Spencer having a boy's name, and Spencer couldn't even make eye contact with her or pretend to laugh.

"I thought Wren was going to visit you in England?" she managed to mumble.

"That was the plan. But then my niece had her baby and she lives in New York so I figured I might as well just pop in here and fly home with him. Thankfully, there were still tickets available."

Spencer nodded, her mind still spinning. Wren hadn't even mentioned a cousin in New York, much less a pregnant one. The baby had to have been born around when Taylor was. She shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what else to say.

From what she could tell, Wren's mother looked sympathetic. She patted Spencer's hand gently. "No need to be nervous. Frankly, I'm just happy Wren's been seeing someone. He's seemed a bit bummed ever since the engagement ended."

"Engagement?" Spencer questioned faintly. Of course, she was talking about Melissa. But every time she had seen Wren after Melissa had kicked him out, he hadn't even brought her up. All they'd ever talked about what Spencer. The thought made her guilty. She had been pretty self centered when it came to anything going on between them.

"Oh, don't you fret about that. It was a long time ago. You've nothing to be worried about."

It was clear that Wren had never told his mother the exact cause behind his engagement ending. Or if he had, he had never mentioned Spencer's name. Thankfully.

Suddenly, she realized how she must look to the older woman. She had on Wren's shirt, no bra and no pants. She was thankful that she had remembered to put on underwear before going to sleep the night before. Her face flushed again. And it was clear that he had never mentioned seeing someone to his mother. She must have looked like such a whore to the older woman.

Spencer smiled tightly at her and wrapped her arms around herself. "Well, it's very nice to meet you. I don't mean to be rude but would you mind if I just ran upstairs and got changed into something..." she trailed off. Wren's mother laughed.

"Of course, of course, dear. I'll be here when you get back. I'm just tidying up a bit. You know how boys can be when they live alone." Spencer immediately crossed to the stairs, her thoughts focused on calling Wren as soon as she got upstairs. "And don't tell Wren, okay? I want to surprise him when he gets back."

"Okay," she muttered, just loud enough to be heard. Now, she was going to have to wait for him to get home to see his reaction.

* * *

**A/N: I really appreciate one of my reviewer's who pointed out that there are little mistakes in my story. I try my hardest to avoid this, but I do tend to have an attention problem when it comes to rereading the things I have written. If anyone would be interested in being a beta for this story, I would more than appreciate that. Just PM me if you are interested. And don't forget to review! The more reviews, the faster the update. **


	9. The Inquisition

**A/N: I can't say that this is my favorite chapter, but I do think it was necessary to the story. Hopefully, you all enjoy it even though it's a little bit different than the rest of the story. **

**Thanks to June Sujare who has agreed to be my beta. With her help, I'm hoping to eliminate any typos that have been there in the past. I can't thank her enough!**

* * *

Upon walking through the door, Wren knew things weren't as he had left them. For one, the sink was cleared, a pile of dishes from the night before drying in the rack. It could have been Spencer, but there were also other small things around which had been made more presentable. And as much as she liked to help, he couldn't see her cleaning the entire bottom floor of the place in his absence.

"Spencer?" he called, moving through the entryway to the living room. Once there, he saw the last thing he had ever expected to see. His mother, humming while she dusted around his bookshelf.

"She's upstairs, dear."

Floored. He was completely floored. There she was, going about cleaning like she was just tidying up his room when he came home from school one day. Only it was a decade later and she was supposed to be roughly 3500 miles away.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just putting things in order. You didn't listen to a thing I said to you about keeping a house before you moved out, did you?" She was acting like it was completely normal to be there. She hadn't even turned around to look at him.

Unable to think of something else to say, there was a period of silence before she turned around with a grin on her face. "Oh, I'm not serious. I went to visit Charlie and his wife. I told you she had a baby, didn't I? And I ended up staying longer than I planned so I decided to surprise you on my way back. We can fly home together now!"

He nodded, still trying to comprehend the fact that she was standing there, right in front of him. "Well, do I get a hug? I haven't seen my boy in ages and you just stand there staring at me."

With a start, he stepped forward, opening his arms and wrapping them around the older woman. It felt the exact same as it always had. Comforting and reminiscent of every time he had been upset as a child and she had pulled him into her embrace. "Oh, I've missed you so much," she said, squeezing him extra tight before letting go.

"Although, I never would have stopped by if I had known you had a girl here." As she leaned away, she gave him a look which made him realize that she knew exactly what he and Spencer had been up to. Not that she cared, he was sure. She was probably just relieved that he was seeing someone.

Instead of answering her, he took in her appearance. It reassured him to see that she hadn't aged since the last time he had seen her. Every time he went away, he always had an illogical fear that she would be different the next time they were together. But it was almost as if she looked younger than she had before. Her hair was still the same brunette color as his, her eyes the same bright brown. She was only 46, but she barely even looked like she had hit 40 yet.

"So tell me about her. She's very beautiful."

Wren slowly bobbed his head in agreement but kept silent. "You must really like her if you're acting so bashful about it. You're reminding me of when you had your first crush on a girl and I practically had to drag the details out of you one by one."

Shrugging his shoulders, he laughed. "I don't know what to say. It's a fairly recent development. We haven't told anyone yet."

"Really? You couldn't have a least called your dear mum and let her know there was a girl to talked about? You didn't have to give me any details about what you do or such."

What they did. That confirmed his suspicion that she knew exactly what it was that they did with each other. His eyes settled on the piano and he suddenly realized how true that was. She must have seen the note. That's why she was putting such an emphasis on it. He prayed that Spencer hadn't been naked when they met. Speaking of Spencer, he was a little worried that he had been home for a little bit and she still wasn't downstairs yet.

"Where is Spencer?"

"She said she went upstairs to get changed but then I heard the shower go on. So when did you meet her?"

That was a quick change of directions back to what she wanted to talk about. For a second, he debated telling her that he didn't particularly want to talk about it right then, but not at the expense of hurting her feelings. They had always been a pretty open family when it came to those kinds of things, and he didn't want to make her worry about him.

"Almost a year ago."

"How did you meet her?"

He froze. "A mutual…friend introduced us." That was stretching the truth. Like Melissa was a friend to either of them.

"And when did know there was something there?"

Another pause, this time slightly longer. "Pretty much from the day I met her. For the most part, we stayed away from one another in the beginning. It wasn't until May anything actually happened."

She nodded in understanding. "That's fine, dear. I don't want to poke at a sore spot, but it can be hard to get back into dating after a broken engagement."

Yet another thing he didn't want to talk about with his mother. He had glossed over the details of the entire ordeal. Of course, he had admitted to her that he had cheated on Melissa, although he hadn't told her with who. She had been very concerned when she heard. It really wasn't like him to be unfaithful and she must have realized that it had been extreme circumstances urging him to do it.

Then again, she had never really liked Melissa all that much, even though they had only met twice when his mother was there visiting. In truth, it had been his sister, whose name was Libby, who got along with Melissa the best. So when the news got out that they weren't getting married, he'd had one family member who was trying not to seem happy and one who was blatantly angry.

"I saw her bag over there with some schoolbooks. Is she taking class at the university?"

"Yeah. Just a couple college courses to get ahead in credits. She's very focused academically." That was technically true, as well.

"Sounds like someone I know," she answered warmly, her eyes wandering away to look around the room, and knowing her, searching for something else to clean.

"You know, you really don't have to clean up after me. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."

"But I like to do it. I don't have the chance very often and it makes me feel needed."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You know you're always needed." Just then, he heard a door open from up the stairs and his eyes immediately looked to see Spencer walking down. Her eyes were somewhat wider than usual and a panicked look was edging in onto her face but he could tell she was trying to act normal.

"Hey."

"Hi," he answered. Stepping onto the floor, she came to stand next to him, but kept a distance between them. So much for meeting him naked at the door. He'd had plans to say goodbye to her properly before they left for the airport, too, but it looked like those ideas were gone now.

Wren watched as Spencer smiled at his mother. He could tell that she was nervous, but the older woman seemed oblivious to the fact. "Were you planning on giving Wren a ride?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah." She cleared her throat. "Yeah. I have time before my class starts so I figured that would be easier than a cab or leaving the car at the airport."

"If we left now, we could stop on our way and get a bite to eat?" Wren asked hesitantly, hoping Spencer would be alright with the forced family time. When he caught her eye, she nodded slightly, signaling she was okay with it, but he still had his doubts. She was practically oozing awkwardness.

"That's a perfect idea. You're much too skinny anyway," his mother added. The last comment was aimed at Spencer, who smiled tightly. He knew that she hated when people said that to her. He'd seen her eat and he knew that it wasn't her fault she couldn't put on weight.

"I'd like that," she added softly.

Humming quietly to herself, Wren watched as his mother nodded happily and walked towards the kitchen. On the way, he saw her pause by the stairs, clearly fighting herself about going up there to clean. While she waited, he tried to remember the state of the bedroom. He'd opened the windows and lit a candle the night before. The room had begun to smell stale after they'd holed themselves up in there so much.

He quickly looked at Spencer and mouthed 'bed?" at her? She looked confused for second and then nodded. Hopefully she'd understood what he was saying and was agreeing that she had made the bed that morning. When he looked back over, his mother still hadn't moved.

"Mum, have you seen the upstairs since I moved in?"

"No, I haven't. Would you mind if I go see it now?"

"Not at all," he answered, staring at Spencer as the other woman ascended the stairs and disappeared.

As soon as it was silent, she was across the room and kissing him. At first, they were rough in their movements, only slowing down after it seemed that she had calmed down a little bit.

"I almost had a heart attack this morning when I came downstairs and she was here. Do you realize that I slept in your shirt last night? Thank god I put on underwear or else this could have been even worse."

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I had absolutely no idea she was going to be here. If it makes you feel better, I can tell she likes you."

"Really?" Spencer's expression was hopeful. "I've never met a guy's mother before. She doesn't know does she?" Wren didn't have to ask what she meant by her question.

"No. At least she shouldn't. I never told her the complete story so she really has no reason to be suspicious."

Spencer nodded, chewing the inside of her lip lightly as she smoothed her dress down. "I had plans for this morning." He could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"I know. I did too. But at least we had last night. And I won't really be gone for too long. I'll be back before you know it."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Sure. The only thing I'm going to have to distract me is school. It's not even a heavy course load. You get to actually be entertained and be around people you want to be around."

His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her closer once again. Kissing her deeply, he tightened his arms. "I'll be sure to make it up to you when I get back."

"I expect nothing less."

They continued to kiss, and soon enough, Wren felt a shift in the atmosphere about them, their movements beginning to grope for one another and once again turning desperate. Out of nowhere, he froze. "We can't"

"I know, she panted, resting her forehead against his. "Your mom could be back any second."

"No. She'll be awhile yet. She went up there to clean. It's a thing she does. I just meant I can't do anything with her in the house. It feels disrespectful… Or something along those lines."

"I can see why. I feel the same way and she's not even my mother." Meeting his eyes, she smiled. "I see where you get your personality from now."

"People always say that," he murmured, brushing his lips over her ear gently before stepping back.

There was a brief moment where he could have sworn Spencer looked sad, instead of uncomfortable, but before he could say anything about it, the expression was gone. He could only imagine what went through her mind upon meeting his mother. She was warm and caring and extremely kind. She was also the exact opposite of Spencer's own mother, who although she loved her daughters, didn't know how to express it that well.

Changing the subject, he said, "You know, if you don't want to go to breakfast we don't have to. And if would rather not drive anymore I would understand."

"No! No. It's fine. I don't mind." She thought for a second and then looked at him with her forehead creased. "As long as you want me to that is. Because if you don't want me to, I wouldn't be offended."

Before she couldn't finish her sentence, he was shaking his head vehemently. "Of course I want to you go. It's just…" He trailed off, not wanted to freak her out. "It's just that she may have assumed we were actually together instead of…" Another unfinished sentence. He was going to have to start finishing his thoughts in his head before he started talking.

There was a moment when he thought she was going to change her mind and back out. But then she shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's okay. She doesn't have to know the truth. I would actually prefer it if she didn't. We can pretend for a couple of hours."

As she was talking, Wren felt his heart sink. She wanted to pretend, but he knew that it would be real on his end. So he forced himself to laugh and kiss her again like he didn't care about what she had just said. "Are you all packed?" she questioned.

"Yeah. I put the stuff I bought this morning in my bags out in the car. Now I guess I just have to put her stuff in the car too and then we can be on our way. If she ever finishes up there, that is."

Spencer smiled, glancing over her shoulder with the same semi-sad expression she had worn earlier, most likely thinking about the fact that the only thing her mother did around the house was pick up the phone to schedule the maid services. Melissa had told him that very early on in their relationship, and he still couldn't get past the fact that he would feel extremely violated if a stranger came to his house everyday and was able to poke through all of his belongings.

"I'm actually excited to spend time with your mom." She grinned devilishly. "Maybe I could even get her to tell me some embarrassing stories from when you were little."

"You probably could. She has quite the wide variety to choose from." Finally, Spencer was looking happier than she had all morning. Her face had lightened and he wasn't sure what had caused the sudden change but he was grateful for whatever it was.

Soon enough, he heard his mum on her way back downstairs. He would have expected her to take longer, but she must have only done what she thought absolutely had to be done. Before she got there, he held out his hand and grinned at Spencer. "Let's do this, shall we?"

Her only answer was a barely noticeable, "We shall," before she was turning to talk to his mother in a manner that had been absent before. From then on, he could only hope that things worked out between the two.

* * *

One week was not a long amount of time to spend with his family. There were cousins to catch up with, odd things around the house his mother asked him to fix, late night poker games to be played with old friends. And time passed relatively quickly. Except every once in awhile, no matter what he was doing, his mind would wander. Something someone did or said would remind him of Spencer, and then his mind would pulled into some memory of the two of them or he would begin wondering what she was doing at that very moment. Those thoughts only managed to pull him deeper into his thoughts.

Of course, he knew he had it bad. He had known that she had some sort of pull on him from the night she caught him smoking outside of her house. That pull had only intensified every time he had seen her. From when she ordered a vodka soda at dinner to how easily he was able to get her to open up at little bit about her family life the first night they kissed, he knew that what he felt for her was stronger than what he had ever felt for someone else.

That's why, the same night in her room, he hadn't been trying to take advantage of her or ruin things. He had simply forgotten about moving into the barn and being engaged and Melissa in general. Because when he was with Spencer, he just had a tendency to lose sight of anything else that was going on with him. Even though it had caused more problems than he could have foreseen, he didn't regret it. Not really. Because there was no way he would have been able live with Spencer as his sister-in-law. There was no doubt in his mind that something would have happened further down the line, wreaking even more havoc then he had in the first place.

There was a big crash from the kitchen downstairs and then an explosion of laughter. That particular night, his mother had invited every one over to celebrate Wren's birthday, as well as his last night there. He would be on a plane the next afternoon back to the states. Of course, he had just snuck away to the computer to check his email one last time.

All week, Spencer had been messaging him. She was surprisingly good at talking dirty online, something he hadn't suspected the first time he saw her name pop up in his inbox. He had a feeling it was because they hadn't talked or texted since the morning he left and she was getting anxious for his return. Of course, she hadn't said she missed him once. Only, 'I wish you were here' or 'I could really use you being naked next to me right now.' When he had first broken the news to her, she had said she would miss him. But since then, no sentiments along those lines had been expressed, a fact that seemed to have been on the forefront of his mind since he'd arrived.

Sure enough, there was one new message in his inbox.

**Wren,**

**I'll be at the airport at 4:30 tomorrow. Don't wear anything that's hard to take off. I can't wait to see you.**

**-Spencer**

He had learned that along with not being able to say 'I miss you,' she was also quite the succinct typer when she wanted to be. The only time she sent more than three sentence emails was late at night when they got into the more explicit conversations. He couldn't help but grin when he remembered the first night he had been gone.

_Flashback_

Setting his bags down in his old room, he was a little bit surprised that his room was exactly the way he had left it the last time he had visited. And the time before that. And the time before that. Part of him had expected his mother to turn it into a craft room or something of that nature when he had announced he would be going to the States for med school. Even his old computer was still on his desk in the computer.

Sitting down on the wooden chair, he rocked onto the back legs like he had done so many times when he used to live here. Every time his mother had walked by the door and seen him, she would yell at him to put all four back on the floor before he cracked his skull open. Mothers.

Pulling out his laptop, he quickly turned it on and connected it to the wi-fi with the password his sister had given him. Their flight had left at 11:15 that morning, making it almost 8:15 when they touched down in England that night. In America anyway. In reality, it was about 3:15 AM in his home country upon arrival. And he had slept on the plane so he was sure to be up awhile longer. That would make for one hell of a jet lag the next day. Bu still, that meant Spencer was still awake.

Going into his messages, he quickly composed an email.

**Spencer, **

**Just got in. The flight was long but I slept through most of it, as did mum. Although, she did take two PM's before we took off. I'm glad to be here but I'm also wishing I could be with you tonight. **

**- Wren**

For a second, he had debated saying that he missed her. But then his mind lingered on her aversion to the phrase when he had been getting ready to go. Not once had she been able to say that she was going to miss him. And there was no way he was going to take a chance on ruining things by saying it and freaking her out. She had enough commitment and attachment issues as it was. Her reply popped up on screen.

**I'm glad you got there okay. I wish I could talk to you though. Or at least text you. Do you have plans for tomorrow?**

Wren shifted back in his chair, smiling sadly at her answer. If only international calling and texting weren't such a rip off. It was a feature that he had with his phone, since he wanted to be able to call home and text his sister whenever he wanted, but Spencer didn't want it showing up on her family's phone bill. Who else would she be calling in England?

**Most likely sleeping until a horrendous hour because of the time difference and then spending the afternoon and evening with my family. How were your classes today?**

Only minutes later, her answer came.

**They were good. I'm glad to have something to distract me even though I wasn't really able to concentrate anyway. At least I'll have schoolwork to spend time on while you're gone. **

She was the only person in the entire world who actually enjoyed homework

**You're a bit of a swot, aren't you?**

Wren took a drink of water. At least if they couldn't talk or text, they'd found a semi-easy way to keep communicating.

**I don't know what that means, but I'm taking it offensively.**

He grinned. Usually it was meant as a slightly derogatory expression, but he had known she probably never heard it before, making it the perfect thing to call her.

**I meant no offense. I was simply stating the facts. Maybe I should have said that you're a bit of a nerd instead.**

That he knew she would understand.

**Like I've never heard that before. You should hear the things Hanna has said because of my studying habits.**

Only a few days after they had met on the playground, Spencer had begun talking about her friends like he had met them all personally. This was something that he enjoyed immensely. It made him feel like he was part of her real life, not just some secret she had shoved in the back of her closet. The only downfall to it was that every time she brought one of them up, he hoped that she would ask him to meet them. But she never did. Not yet anyway.

**I would very much like to hear them. **

The next answer made him grin.

**Well, patience is a virtue. I'm sure they'll tell you everything you'd want to know about me when you meet them.**

When. Not if, or maybe, but when. When he met them. Which meant she was actually planning on introducing him to them. Which also meant that she was going to tell them what was going on between them. He knew it most likely wouldn't be anytime soon, but at least she had some sort of future for them in her mind.

Before he had a chance to answer, another message popped up in his inbox.

**Do you remember what you wanted me to work on last night?**

Wren grinned at her question, a memory of her hand gliding over her body sliding into his head. Like he could forget.

**Of course I do. **

A second later, her response popped up as he was taking a drink.

**I'm about to practice. **

Wren nearly spit water all over his keyboard. Her blunt brevity left him more than a little stunned. And uncomfortably turned on. He shifted awkwardly in his seat, remembering that his mom and sister were both sleeping down the hall from him. Not only that, but he was in his childhood home, where he'd lived from the time he was born until the time he graduated from Oxford and moved to the states. It was also bordering on being so late that it was actually early, and if he had any hope of beating the jet lag, he should have just gone to bed and told Spencer the next day that he had accidentally fallen asleep.

So naturally, he answered her.

**Really? And what are you wearing?**

Her answer came almost instantly.

**Your green plaid shirt. **

The one that had the third button from the top missing because of her impatience to get it off of him once. He could picture it instantly. Coming to think about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen it. And that wasn't the only clothing of his that was missing. There was also two t-shirts and a pair of boxers. He'd suspected for quite a bit that she had slowly been pilfering his clothes, but that was the first actual proof she had given him. Not that he could really object to it. Just the thought of her laying on her bed, shirt gaping over and her fingers slowly working their way over her own body…

He shook his head. She was doing this to him intentionally.

**Is that all?**

The next answer didn't come as swiftly as the earlier ones. When it finally did pop up in his inbox, his eyes widened. There was an attachment. She sent him a bloody naked picture. He hoped anyway.

Upon opening it, he couldn't help being a tad disappointed. Granted, just the sight of her made his heart race, especially combined with the fact that she was indeed only wearing his shirt. But he had been hoping that she would be completely sans clothes.

Instead, she was standing in front of her full length mirror. The picture itself was utterly Spencer. He could only imagine what other girls would look like in pictures they sent to their boyfriends. He'd always found the idea a little garish, with girls fishing for compliments from guys. But with Spencer, she managed to look sexy and sultry, but innocent at the same time.

She was biting her lip with a barely there smile. Her hand was crossed across her stomach to latch onto her other elbow, her unending legs only covered at the very top by his shirt. From the way she was standing, he could barely make out the fact that when she said she was only wearing that one thing, she wasn't lying. Her bare hip, which was just visible, brought him to the conclusion that she wasn't even wearing underwear. He could also assume that there wasn't a bra underneath that shirt.

After carefully inspecting the picture, he leaned back in his chair. tilting on the two back legs again as he rubbed his eyes and sighed.

**You have my full permission to take whatever you want from my closet. I'm positive you would wear anything in there much better than I could. Do you plan on leaving it on all night?**

From outside his room, he heard a door open, and then a second one close. Libby was probably going to the bathroom. His legs jiggled up and down restlessly as he waited for Spencer's answer. He even turned on the volume of his computer so he wouldn't miss it when it came.

Just as he heard the tell tale ding of his email, he also heard a faint knock on his door. Libby. He turned around anxiously, unsure about what he wanted to do. Finally, he sighed again, closing the picture so she wouldn't be able to see it.

"Yes?"

The door opened slowly as she poked her head around it. "Hey." Her brown eyes looked sleepy, for a second reminding him of the way Spencer looked when she woke her up. Shaking the thought out of his head, he stood up and wrapped his arms around the younger girl as she walked further into the room.

As soon as he stepped away from her, he analyzed her for a second. She looked older. Her hair had gradually been getting lighter and lighter over the years, and she had finally reached a point where it was almost platinum blond. Not that she couldn't pull it off. Any look suited her. Underneath her black shorts and cut up t-shirt, she was tan, which was her usual in the summer.

"I saw your light was still on and figured I'd pop in to see you. I'm so glad you're home. I've missed you."

He nodded eagerly. "I know. What happened to you?" he asked teasingly. "You grew up while I was gone."

Libby rolled her eyes. "I grew up before you had gone. You just never wanted to admit it."

Wren laughed. Growing up, they had always been very close but when he'd moved to the States, they'd started to talk less and less, especially after breaking things off with Melissa. She and Libby had started talking online right after Wren and Melissa had started dating, and his sister had taken to her immediately. He couldn't help but think that was because Libby had never met the older girl in person.

"So Mum tells me you've got a girlfriend."

She wasn't wasting any time. Wren laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. His mother and her mouth. He could have sworn he's asked her not to tell anyone. Although knowing her, she didn't think his sister was counted in that equation.

"It's not…It's not really like that."

"Yeah, she also mentioned that she walked in on her just wearing your shirt. So she's more of a fuck buddy than a girlfriend, then?"

He was caught off guard by her harsh judgement. She had never talked to him that way when they were younger either. "It's not really like that either."

"Then what is it like?" His eyes flickered back to his computer screen, where there was a new message waiting to be opened. What was it like?

"It's…complicated."

For a moment, Libby just stared at him. "It shouldn't be complicated. Simple is always better. Isn't complicated what got you into that mess with Melissa last time?"

Again, he was floored. Since when had his sister begun giving him dating advice? He tried to look like he was thinking, but he knew she could see through him. He had no real answer. Having a complicated situation is what had gotten him into the mess with Melissa. But the complication itself was Spencer and now that they were together, if not in any conventional or official way, that should have uncomplicated the situation immensely. But it hadn't.

"Are you two together or not?"

"We are… sort of. But not really." Libby looked confused.

"So you're basically just sleeping with her?"

"No! It's more than that. I have feelings for her. I have practically since I met her. But she's had a very trying year and she just isn't ready to be in a relationship." There was a spot in his mind that worried that she never would. Not with him anyway.

"So what you're actually saying is that she just got out of a relationship that she didn't really want to be out of and now you're letting her use you as a rebound."

That sentence made him stop. For all intensive purposes, it was true. But only when taking the situation out of context. He sighed deeply, wanting desperately to make Libby understand, to make her less critical about the situation.

"She went through some things. Some pretty nasty things. Among which was her boyfriend breaking up with her. At that point, we were more friends than anything and I wanted to help her through it. One thing led to another and…"

"But you fancy her?"

Wren shrugged. Yes. Of course he did. How could he not? "Maybe. I don't know. It's complicated." There was that word again. He didn't like lying to his sister, but he could see that she was too skeptical at that point to even try and understand what he was saying.

Libby didn't answer right away. Instead, she continued to stare at him in her normal way that made him feel like she was looking into his soul. "Are you happy with that?"

"Of course I am. Being with her makes me happy, even if we're not technically together. And I don't want to pressure her into anything or rush her into being ready. She'll figure it out on her own time."

"Hopefully," Libby snorted, which only earned her a glare from Wren. "How long had it been going on?"

"Not too long. Only about two months."

"And what's her name?" Wren froze. He couldn't give his sister a fake name; their mom might bring it up at some point. But he was also nervous that Melissa had mentioned that she had a sister named Spencer and that very sister had broken her and Wren up. It was a fairly uncommon name for a girl, and he was sure his sister would recognize it right away if she knew the true story.

"Spencer." He cleared his throat. "Her name is Spencer."

He held his breath as he waited for her reaction. Her forehead wrinkled as she looked at him, and for a scary second, he was sure that he had been busted. "Isn't that a boy's name?"

Wren simultaneously laughed and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Can I see a picture of her?"

Right away, his eyes shot to his computer and then back to Libby's face. As much as he wanted to talk to her and catch up on everything he had missed since he'd been gone, right then he just wanted her to go back to bed. Because if he didn't answer Spencer soon, he knew she would assume he had gone to sleep.

At the same time, he realized that besides the slightly dirty one she had just sent him, he had absolutely no pictures of Spencer. Not on his phone or his computer or his camera. For some reason, that thought scared him and he made a promise to himself that once he got back he would do something to change it.

"I, I don't have any." He finally answered her.

Another pause in the conversation. Libby was trying to figure him out, he was sure of it. She'd been trying to figure things out ever since she was a little girl, her curiosity often getting annoying to people as they grew up. It had never bothered him when he was younger, though; he'd liked the interest she showed him. But when she was trying to classify his love life, it quickly became tiresome.

He faked a yawn, again glancing at his computer and hoping she would get the hint. Of course, Libby being herself, she wouldn't let it go until she was good and ready to.

"So is she good?"

"I'm sorry. What?"

Libby had lost the tired look in her eyes and it was replaced with a mischievous air of innocence. It was the same look he had seen on her face every time she had lied about doing something wrong when they were kids.

"I mean, if you've been sleeping with her for two months, she must be good. Or you must be desperate."

The teasing remark barely registered with him as he realized that his younger sister was asking him about his sex life. "So, which one is it?" she added when he still didn't answer.

"I really don't think that's any of your business."

"You're my brother. I just want to make you're satisfied. With your life."

In that moment, he understood how Spencer had such a hard time not blushing in the beginning. He could feel the blood rushing to his face as he looked away. Now she was asking him about his sexual satisfaction. There was no way things could get more awkward.

"Is she into weird shit in bed or something? Is that why you won't talk about it?" Her eyes widened. "Or are you?"

"No! It's not like that at all! It's just an odd thing for me to be discussing with my little sister. Or anyone at all, really. Mum and you are the only ones who actually know about her."

Libby's eyebrows shot up, probably in disbelief. "Why?'

"Why what?"

"Why did you decide to keep it a secret?"

Wren paused, thinking about how much he could tell her. Their story, told in the wrong manner, would sound utterly wrong, and make him seem more than a touch desperate like she had said. But that's not how it actually was. He knew that and he was pretty sure Spencer knew that but he wasn't sure how to make his sister understand it.

"We have quite a bit of history. We actually met at the end of last summer. But it wasn't until this year that something actually came of it. And there are people who wouldn't be too happy upon hearing about the two of us." Like her entire family. And Toby. And probably all of her friends. And the population of the world.

Surprisingly, she didn't ask him why it was that people wouldn't want them to be together. "Is she pretty?"

Wren nodded instantly. "Stunning."

"And what's she like."

"She's…extremely driven. And kind. And funny. She has this intensity about her and a tendency to catch me off guard every time I think I finally know her."

For the first time, Libby looked surprised. Maybe at his quick response or maybe at the absolute finality that he spoke with. Either way, it wasn't very long after that she got a resigned look about her.

"Then I'm happy for you. And I'm also very tired. I'm sure you are too. I'll see you in the morning?"

He nodded, crossing the room and kissing her forehead briefly, like he had whenever she'd had a bad nightmare but didn't want to wake their mother. She smiled slightly and turned around to walk out the door.

"I have to meet her. Figure out if she really is that amazing or you're just blinded by love."

Blinded by love. The expression ricocheted around inside of his head even after she had closed the door behind her. Blinded by love. Was he? He knew that he had feelings for her. Strong, deep rooted feelings that rivaled anything he had ever felt before. He also knew that those feelings were stronger than any he had ever had for Melissa, and he had claimed to be in love with the older girl. Did that mean he was in love with Spencer?

Before he could think on it anymore, his eyes fell on the two unread emails waiting for him in his inbox. He clicked on the oldest one to see only one short line written.

**It's already off. **

He grinned as he remembered asking her how long she planned on wearing his shirt and then went on to the second message.

**I'm going to assume that since you haven't gotten back to me yet, you fell asleep. In which case, you should know that you missed out on what could have been some pretty awesome cyber sex. Instead, I'm probably just going to go to bed, alone, and then figure out what to do with myself while you're gone when I wake up tomorrow. I hope you have an amazing time at home. Tell your mom I said 'hi.'**

As soon as he had finished reading, a third email arrived.

**Also, my mission was successful. But only because I thought of you the entire time. **

Her mission. The phrase made him smile. She talked about it like it was something that had to be carefully planned out and then enacted. Which, with her, it probably had been.

It was nearing five in the morning as he looked at his computer screen which meant it was almost ten where she was. It wasn't unlike her to go to bed at that time, especially after a night like they had had and how long her day had been. Finally, he was beginning to feel a traveler's fatigue set in even though he desperately wanted to answer her.

The faded blue comforter on his bed was beginning to call to him. It had been so long since he'd stayed there that he had forgotten what his bed felt like, but he honestly would have slept on a pile of rocks at the moment. Before getting up to get changed, he decided to email her back.

**I did not, in fact, fall asleep. I was simply talking to my sister. I really hope that you're sleeping naked. Even if you're not, lie to me so I have a good mental image to wake up to. I'm glad that your endeavors were successful, but don't forget who that job actually belongs to when I return. I'm actually going to go to bed now. I'll be sure to check in tomorrow. Goodnight Spencer. **

As soon as he had hit the send button, he was climbing out of his chair, pulling off his shirt and shorts and crashing onto the bed in only his boxers. He didn't even bother to get under the covers.

_End flashback_

"Big brother!" Libby busted through his door, breaking him from his thoughts and making him jump. Her face was flushed and her hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail, but once again, Wren was struck by how grown up she looked.

"So let me get this straight. You're missing your going away dinner/birthday celebration so you can sit in your room by yourself and pine after some girl?"

Wren laughed and shook his head. All week, any opportunity she had to bring up Spencer, she would. "I'm not pining. I just wanted to make sure she was still able to meet me when my flight gets in tomorrow."

"I'm sure she is. From what you've told me about her, she would never forget to be somewhere. I can't believe you're ignoring us even though you don't know the next time we'll all get a chance to be together when you're going to see your girlfriend tomorrow."

"She's not my girlfriend," he muttered. "And I'm coming down now. Give me one second."

When he realized that Libby was going to stay put until he was ready to go with her, he turned back to the computer.

**Spencer,**

**You have no idea how much I need to see you. If everything goes as planned tomorrow, I'll see you around 4:30. I'll text you as soon as possible. **

**Wren**

He shut his computer quickly, pushing it back on his desk and standing to meet his sister. But instead of turning to go downstairs with him, she stayed where she was and stared at him.

"What?"

Leaning against his bedroom door, she said, "You're head over bloody heels for her, aren't you?" Interrupting him as he tried to disagree, she continued, "You had better tell her before she gets bored and her attention starts to wander."

"That's not going to happen," he said quietly.

"And if it does?"

His mind through flew through the possibilities is that actually were to happen as he stood awkwardly in the middle of his room. "I don't know. I would live."

"You'd be a pathetic lost mess. I can already tell this is different than any of your other girlfriends."

"She's not my-"

Libby cut him off. "She's not your girlfriend. I know. Whatever. But she is."

"No, she's really not."

"Okay, let me ask you this. If she really is just some girl you have sex with, what do you do when you're together?"

"Um…"

Rolling her eyes, she clarified, "Besides the obvious. I bet you're already breaking every rule there is. Mum already told me that she was there in the morning. And everyone knows the first rule of having a fuck buddy is no sleepovers. Do you do work together?"

Resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to give up until she made her point, he sighed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's taking courses now, right? Does she do schoolwork at your house?"

When he didn't answer right away, she nodded. "That's a yes. Have you met her family?"

Had he ever. "Yes, but that was before anything happened between us."

"Doesn't matter. Still counts. Now, what do you talk about when you're together?"

"Things?"

"Things?" Wren was getting sick of Libby rolling her eyes at everything he said. It reminded him of her angsty teenage phase which had made him not want to come home to visit at all while he was away at university. Thankfully, she had gotten over it, but it seemed to be making a reappearance.

"What things? Is it all about the sex part of things or do you talk about other stuff. You know, family problems, friend drama, feelings?"

That was an astounding yes. He couldn't remember a time when they had been together and not talked about something that was going on. That only proved her point even more.

"Do you see what I'm getting at here?"

Shaking his head, he leaned back onto his desk. "I do. And I know what you're trying to do. But Spencer and I aren't conventional. We never were. And I'm not willing to risk the way things are now just because I want more. She has to be the one to make that decision."

The look on Libby's face was bewildered. "How can you be so sure that she will?"

This was getting ridiculous. Hadn't she come to bring him down to the party? How had that turned into an inquisition that he couldn't escape?

"I can't. But even if she never does, it won't matter. I want her to be happy. I just have this, this…I can't even explain it." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's like from the moment I met her, I just wanted her to be okay. And if that means we're not together, then we won't be. I care about her too much to try and push anything on her. Not that she would let me, anyway."

Libby's face had softened slightly. More compliant that she had been before, she started talking again. "If that's how you feel and that's what you want to do, then there's obviously nothing I can do to change your mind. But can you just answer one more question?"

What other question could she possibly have? Her endless curiosity was another thing he had almost forgotten about. "What is it?"

"Is she the reason things ended between you and Melissa?"

Wren stilled. Where was she going with that? Granted she could have asked it in a much more harsh way if she knew the truth. Is she the girl you cheated on Melissa with? Was she the one you seduced in her bedroom even though you were already engaged to someone else? How old was she the first time you kissed her? Twelve?

"Well, it was my fault. But yes, she's the girl."

Libby nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. "She must be something then. I really have to meet her sometime."

That was the second time she had mentioned that she was willing to meet Spencer. The fact made Wren both relieved and nervous. Libby never would have said that if she had completely written Spencer off. But at the thought of Libby putting Spencer through the same game of twenty questions he had endured, he grew uneasy. He wasn't even sure the brunette would be willing to answer any of them, a fact that would only make Libby suspicious. And now that his sister knew how he really felt about Spencer, he wouldn't put it past her to accidentally let it slip. Which would only freak her out.

It was idiotic to be worrying about the two of them meeting. It wasn't like Libby was planning a visit anytime in the near future and he was positive that Spencer wasn't planning on going anywhere near the UK at that time. So for awhile, at least, he was safe.

"Come on, then. You're being a freak by hiding out up here. And you know how mum hates it when we don't entertain our guests. She rolled her eyes and instantly, Wren was back to feeling like things were normal between them again. No more talk of love lives or anything else along those lines. They were simply siblings at a family party, intent upon teasing their mother like they always had and teaming up to beat their cousins at whatever game they were going to play that night.

The next day, he would board a flight and go back to the place that had somehow turned into his home without him realizing it. Spencer would meet him at the airport and drive him home and they would spend the entire night having welcome home sex. She would have no idea the revelations that Libby had brought out in his mind. She would also have no idea how deep his feelings ran. And he wouldn't care.

He would let thing go back to their version of normal. Eventually, something would happen that would change her perspective of the situation. Either she would end things or want more than he did. It could be days or weeks or months away, but Libby had help him realize that there was no way they could go on forever like they had been. In the end, he could only hope that she chose to be with him.

* * *

**A/N: So for some reason, every time I write a new chapter I think that it's going to be shorter than the previous one. Then I see the word count and realize how long it actually its. Apparently, I'm starting to not notice how long winded I can be sometimes. **

**On a different note, thanks to everyone who is reading this story. It means so much to know that people enjoy it and there's someone other than me who actually wants Wren and Spencer to happen in the show. I would really love to hear all of your feedback on what you liked, didn't liked, thought was funny, etc. So make sure to review so I can get the next chapter out as quickly as possible! Thanks again!**


	10. The Return

**A/N: Finally, a shorter chapter. But only because things are about to get all mixed up. I think up until this chapter, I wasn't quite sure exactly where I wanted it to go but I got inspired this week and planned out the rest of the story completely. It's about halfway there (I think) and I'm really excited to finish it!**

**Like before, I want to thank June Sujare for pointing out my dumb mistakes. ****Enjoy!**

* * *

Being with Wren was giving her an anxiety issue. Not that she was nervous, per se, about picking him up at the airport. It just felt like if she had to wait any longer her nerves were going to drive her insane. Or her hormones. She'd been having a hard time distinguishing between the two lately.

Her bottom lip was between her teeth as she craned her neck anxiously to try and see past the crowds of people flooding through the doors of the airport. Every time there was a slightly messy-headed brunette man, her mouth opened to call out, only to realize it wasn't him. After what felt like the fiftieth false alarm, she leaned back and looked down at her phone dejectedly. No new messages.

Calling him was out of the question. He had said he would meet her right at that specific spot so that was where she would wait. She wasn't one for looking desperate or overly excited about these things. Especially when it could give him the wrong idea. But that didn't stop her from checking her phone once again.

Maybe he had texted her and her phone had accidentally marked it as viewed. That happened sometimes right? She had been texting Aria just a couple moments before. Or maybe she just didn't have service where she was standing. The Philadelphia International Airport had to have enough concrete to block the signal for miles. Or so she thought until she checked the upper right-hand corner of her screen. Three bars, not bad.

She walked away from the entrance towards the road where cars were constantly pausing to drop people off and pick them up. She was glad she had decided to park and find him instead of circling around and around the airport waiting for him to appear through the glass doors. Still, her movement wasn't helpful in her attempt to receive some sort of communication from him.

What was taking him so long? His plane had been scheduled to land half an hour before. It didn't take that long to grab your luggage and get out. Just as she was about to cave in and call him, she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist.

"Waiting for someone, miss?"

Spencer jumped, more out of surprise than fear. The next thing she knew, Wren's arms were hugging her tightly as he kissed the side of her neck. A week was entirely too long to go without feeling his lips on her skin. Spinning around, she wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned.

"It felt like you were never going to get out here."

He laughed. "The feeling was mutual. My flight was endless. And then we got held up at the baggage claim." Knowing she would catch him off guard while he was still in the middle of his explanation, she pressed her lips against his, wasting no time in opening her mouth to him. Around them, she was positive people were staring at their shameless public displays of affection.

It was freeing to be together in plain sight. Maybe a little too freeing when she took into account how she was taking advantage of the moment. As much as she enjoyed practically living at Wren's house, there was a suffocating feeling to the entire situation. Not for the first time, she wondered if Aria had felt the same way for the entire time she had kept her relationship with Ezra a secret.

Despite her recent feelings of being stifled by their secrecy, there was no way she was going to do anything to change it. For a day while Wren had been gone, she had toyed with the idea of telling one of her friends. Most likely Aria since she did have the experience in that area. Thankfully, common sense had kicked in.

In the end, she had decided against it, at least for the time being. Giving herself an ultimatum, she had decided that if she received another message from whoever had texted her the first time, she would tell Hanna and Aria absolutely everything or tell Wren about this new A. She refused to let herself get isolated.

For the time being though, she could relish in the fact that she was outside while the sun was shining, kissing Wren without having to care about anyone she knew seeing them. That is, of course, until someone bumped into her, sending them both stumbling backwards. Since things had been getting fairly heated between the two of them, she decided it was safe to assume that whoever it was had done it on purpose.

They pulled back from each other, grinning stupidly. "I am so happy you're back."

"And I am as well," Wren answered.

"Do you want to go now?" Spencer answered even though the answer was obvious. There were ideas already popping up in her mind about what they would do when they arrived at his house.

Wren placed his hand on her hip and pulled her closer so that he could rest his forehead against hers. "I would like nothing more than to get back and...take a shower."

While she would have preferred him saying he wanted to take her to bed when they got back, she still said, "That sounds great to me." Smiling gently, she noticed the tired look on Wren's face. "Didn't you sleep on the plane?"

Shaking his head, Wren hitched his bag up to a comfortable position on his shoulder and turned to walk towards the parking garage. She grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his and gently pulling him in the direction of the car as he answered her.

"Not much. I may have drifted off from time to time but for most of the flight I couldn't sleep. I guess I was just too excited." She would have answered him, but before she could open her mouth he was changing to topic. "So how has your day been?"

She shrugged. "Not bad. I stayed in the barn with Melissa and the baby last night."

"So things have been good between you two still?"

"Yeah." She nodded slowly. "I mean, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to suddenly turn on me, but I'm starting to think it might not happen. Last night, we watched two movies together after she put Taylor down. We didn't even fight over which ones. And then we both fell asleep on her couch."

Wren's hand squeezed her gently. "That's terrific. Maybe having Taylor really did change her for the better."

"We can only hope," Spencer mumbled before he touched her. They had just reached the car when Wren took the opportunity to push her against it and kiss her again. In the shadow of the parking structure, there was less of a chance of them being seen. His hands wandered down her legs, pulling up the hem of her dress as their lips met and parted over and over again.

More aggressive than usual, his teeth nipped at the sensitive skin on her lips. Not that she cared. She gave as good as she got, something she had been proving since the beginning. Then, she felt his touch on the back of her thighs, pulling her into him as she felt his fingers begin to wander further upwards.

Her own hands grabbed his, preventing him from actually pulling her dress up as she turned her head away. Or tried to at least. His body was flush against hers, and in the heat of the afternoon, she was beginning to sweat. "Stop." When he continued to kiss her, she turned her head again. "Stop. Not like this." She felt his hands still on her hips. "We can't do this here."

There was a pause in his movements. "I know." His head fell to the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry. I just, I feel like I can't keep my hands off of you."

That described her feelings exactly. "I can tell by the way you were just trying to maul me. And trust me, the feeling is mutual. But we're not having sex in a parking garage. It's too creepy and it feels like hell out here right now."

"I know." Regardless of his words, she could detect a hint of frustration in his voice. The thought that he was that worked up over it already made her smirk.

"Come on. The sooner we go home, the soon we can get to that."

Wren nodded, laughing a little bit. "You're right. As usual." With that, he took the keys dangling from her fingers and unlocked the doors. He threw his bags into the backseat and opened the passenger side door, gesturing for her to get in.

"So I take it you're driving my car home?"

"I've been driving on the wrong side of the road for a week. Let me make sure I remember how to do this the American way."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten in a week. But I'm glad to see your risking the well being of my car just to make sure." Before he could say anything, she held her hand up. "It's fine. You can drive." She settled into her seat as he shut the door with a playful smile on his face. Her eyes followed him walking in front of the car and then getting in.

The first half of the drive home was uneventful. They didn't talk about anything of importance. Spencer found herself laughing at the stories Wren told her of his family, especially his sister. She may have had a hard time with him being gone, but she couldn't be upset that he had the opportunity to go.

After about twenty minutes, Spencer shifted in her seat and something inside of her shifted as well. Suddenly, her mind was stuck on the ways she had managed to get by in his absence. Those methods had worked flawlessly, much more achievable once she'd had something to fuel her, that something being memories of him. The modest blush that she felt flare up on her face made her head turn towards the window.

How long would it be before he brought up all of the emails they had exchanged that week? Prior to that summer, she never would have been able to say the things she had written to him. But something had overcome her when she was sitting in front of her computer that compelled her to describe everything she wished he was doing to her at that moment. Explicitly.

They were about halfway home and no matter what she tried, she couldn't get her mind off finally being with him again. The quiet in the car only added to the desire she felt. There was no way she was going to be able to wait.

The silence was broken by a command from Spencer. "Pull over."

"What?"

"Pull over," she repeated.

Without another questions, he did as she asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him try to find somewhere to stop. He had to know why she had been so demanding about it. Finally, he turned down a street that looked almost completely deserted except for one house way down the road with a car parked in front of it.

As soon as he had put them in park, she was on him, climbing over the gear shift and landing solidly on his lap. He let out a tiny grunt upon impact, but didn't have any time to make a comment before she was attacking him.

Her fingers worked quickly to unbutton his shirt and pull it open, leaving his skin bare. "I don't know why it's so hard for my to keep my hands off of you," she whispers against his chest.

"Likewise," he replied, finding the hem of her dress and slipping his hands underneath to continue his actions from earlier. After a second, she smiled when he froze against her. "You're not wearing any underwear."

Pulling back from him, she smirked. "Nope." Her head tilted to the side at his amazed expression. "You always seem so surprised." He'd given her the same look in the janitor's closet at the hospital.

"I guess you just don't seem like the type."

Her grin grew larger and she leaned closer to him and murmured in his ear, "And do I seem like the type to have sex in a car? Because that's about to happen too." As she was talking, she leaned back, maybe a little too far. All of the sudden, the car horn blared, causing her to jump and move away from the wheel.

The noise cut off, leaving the silence to ring in their ears until they both began laughing. In that moment, Spencer was struck by exactly how much she had missed Wren. Not just sleeping with him, although there hadn't been one night that she didn't wish he was next to her, but she missed just being with him. Talking to him. Laughing with him.

"I missed you." Spencer leaned back again carefully, surprised to hear the words coming out of Wren's mouth. Talk about reading someone's mind.

"I was just thinking the same thing," she finally answered, which made him grin. A thought occurred to her. "And I forgot that I have good news for you."

Wren looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on. "I just found out that my parents both have business trips in the same place next week and Melissa asked if she could go with them. She's calling it Taylor's first vacation. That means I have the whole house to myself… And I want you to come keep me company."

From her position above him, Spencer couldn't help but notice that instead of looking overjoyed like she had been when she found out, he actually looked a little sad. "I mean, unless you don't want to," she added.

"No. I want to! It's just…why aren't they taking you with them?"

Spencer shrugged, not understanding why he cared. "I have my summer classes. I told them I can't miss the material. I don't even remember the last time the four of us went on vacation together anyway. I'm sure they'll take me somewhere else after the summer session is over." Even though she was trying to make him understand the situation, he still didn't look happy.

"And you don't care that they're going somewhere without you?"

She shrugged again. "Not particularly. This isn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last. It's not like they'll actually spend time together anyway. My parents will be busy with work and Melissa will be busy with the baby. I'd be surprised if they even managed to get together for one meal the entire time."

Maybe at one point, Spencer would have cared. But that was before the Ian situation and the Jason situation and the fact that her family was more torn up then it had ever been before despite her growing attachment to Melissa. She could barely stand to be near her dad anymore since finding out that Jason was her brother, a fact which he had figured out not too long after the father-daughter dance. And their mother had immersed herself back in work so she had barely any free time to see Spencer.

Wren still hadn't answered her as she snapped back to the conversation they were having. Or he was having. She would have waited to tell him if she'd known he wouldn't just get excited and pull her into the backseat. Instead, she ran her fingers over his shoulder and leaned closer to him so their foreheads were touching.

"Don't read into this. You've been around my family and you know what they're like. We might not be normal but it doesn't bother me like you think it does. Maybe once it did, but not anymore. So we don't have good relationships with one another. But do you want to know what we do have?"

Thankfully, Wren's face had lost the look of sadness mixed with undertones of pity after recognizing the warning tones in her voice. She was extremely grateful that he knew when not to push a subject with her. Instead, he had moved on to just looking curious. So she leaned into him again, making sure her mouth was next to his ear and her hips were pressing down on his as she whispered, "A pool." She grinned when his hands gripped the back of her thighs a little tighter. "And do you know what that means?"

Apparently he didn't since he didn't say anything but continued to move his hands upwards. "Skinny-dipping."

With that, she pushed herself off of him and tumbled into the back seat. It took a second, but then he was following her through the gap between the seats with a bit more struggle than she had faced before landing on top of her.

Instead of risking the chance that he would start talking to her about her family again, she kissed him hungrily, her hands shooting down to undo his pants. There was a moment of hesitation on his face where she could see that he wanted to press the issue, but then her hand made its way into his boxers and she had won. Or at least it felt like she had when he began to kiss her back with the same intensity.

Spencer's dressed was pushed up, scrunched tight at the top of her stomach, but neither of them made any move to fix it or remove it. Instead, Wren's hand traveled under the material, pawing at the exposed skin underneath.

"You're not wearing a bra either."

Spencer panted, already out of breath, but still able to say, "I know. I usually don't find them necessary to begin with. Plus I know how you react when there's nothing underneath my clothes."

Her statement made Wren shake his head and grin. He kissed her softly and studied her face intently. "We need to be quick. A car could drive by."

"Isn't that what makes it fun?" Despite her flippant attitude, she shifted underneath of him, resting her feet on the door so that her knees were bent and he was laying between her legs. The backseat of her car looked a lot bigger than it actually was, and there was a large chance she was too tall to have sex there. And if she was, he most certainly was, as well.

At the same time, she leaned up as much as she could to try and rid Wren of his pants. They fumbled as they both attempted to do it, banging heads in the process and causing them both to laugh. It almost felt like they were a couple of kids in high schools trying to hook up before they needed to be home for curfew. That may have been slightly true for her, but what she thought she was getting at what that this encounter lacked all fluidity they had shared every other time.

Their movements were slightly frantic, and for a second she panicked. Because what if someone did see them? But then the thought made her heart race and the throbbing between her legs intensify and she knew that even if someone were to see them, it was highly likely that she wouldn't even care. Or stop. Okay, so she would probably stop.

Without even knowing what was happening, Wren was pushing inside of her and it was everything she had been missing since he had been gone. At least she knew he hadn't lost his ability to catch her by surprise. She hadn't even realized he had been able to get his pants down. Lifting her head to check quickly, she saw them pooled around his ankles. Her dress was still bunched up around her ribcage. They were the epitome of class.

Somehow, as they moved together, it crossed her mind that this was better than she remembered it. Maybe it was because she hadn't wanted to get her hopes up for his return or they were both just so desperate, but it was definitely something worth waiting for. And it was also something that wasn't going to take very long at all.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her nails digging into his back as she struggled to make sense of everything. It felt slightly surreal that she was actually there with him and not just emailing him a detailed description of a sex in the back of the car fantasy in order to get him off while they were thousands of miles away from one another.

The car was filled with heavy breathing and the occasional high pitch moan on her part that she couldn't stop from escaping her mouth. Her head hit the seat as his finger found their way to her chest, knowing exactly how to make her gasp just from his touch.

It was hot with the engine off and the late afternoon sun heating up the inside. All of the windows were up too. Neither of them had thought to put them down after the air wasn't on anymore. She could feel the perspiration on her, between their bodies, making it that much easier for them to move together.

This wasn't what she had imagined when she's envisioned welcome home sex. She'd pictured something a little more romantic, maybe some candles or the shower. Not a car turned into a heat box because she couldn't even wait the twenty more minutes until they got back to Rosewood.

As his teeth scraped over her collarbone, she groaned. The noise brought his attention back to her mouth, where he kissed her fiercely, biting down on her top lip and tugging gently. For a moment, they just kissed, desperate to be close to one another until Spencer felt the tell tale signs of the end.

He came right before she did, dropping his head to the crook of her neck as she squirmed underneath of him. As soon as it hit her, she was arching off the leathery material of the seat, feeling her slick skin slide against it as she drug her nails into Wren's skin again and pushed up against him.

Afterwards, both of them panted against one another. Spencer finally felt satiated. For the time being anyway. "Oh, my god," she muttered. "It's so hot. And I think we just beat a record for fastest quickie." He nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything else for a couple of minutes.

"That felt distinctly dirty," Wren commented in her ear, still having a hard time controlling his breathing after they had both collapsed onto the seat. The only response she gave him was nodding her head as it rested against the seat and her eyes remained shut. She was having a hard time breathing as well, probably from the combination of the oppressive heat and what they had just done.

"I feel a bit used," he added, making her smile.

"You feel used? You're not the one who just got ravaged in the backseat of a car. You've been planning this, haven't you?"

Feeling him shake his head, she smiled. "You really enjoy that word don't you? And you're the one who told me to pull over."

"Well…whatever." She didn't have the energy to think of another excuse to continue their banter. It was ungodly in that car and the only thing she could think about was air conditioning. Kissing him softly, she placed her hands on his chest to push him away. As soon as they had managed to untangle themselves, they worked on fixing their clothes, all the while laughing as they glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

In that moment, she was suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to be with him. Not just in a physical way like they already had, but in a completely committed manner. Suddenly, she was yearning for the chance to hold hands with him in public and go on dates and do everything that couples did.

The feeling lasted for a brief moment and then she was shaking her head and trying to forget that she had ever thought it. Too many things ensured that those things would never happen. Melissa was finally acting like a sister and there were still nights that she desperately missed Toby. Between the two of them, Spencer was positive that she and Wren would never be anything more than they already were.

"You alright?"

She nodded, smiling tightly and climbing back through the seats. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Wren didn't answer. After he had settled back into the seat next to her and started the car, he grinned. "It's refreshing to be home," he commented. Then he reached over and grabbed her hand, not dropping letting go once the entire way back to his house. Not that she would have wanted him to. She was in a lot deeper than she had anticipated.

* * *

"So tell me what else you did while you were gone." They were back at the house, sitting on the couch together while his bags were in a pile by the door. When they had finally gotten there, they had both decided to postpone taking a shower for a little bit. Now that her initial needs had been met in the car, her curiosity was beginning to flare up. While they had emailed for the entire week, there hadn't been much detail in his messages. He had only given her a brief overview of what he had been up to.

"I told you what I did. Stayed home. Caught up with my friends. Did things around the house that my mum couldn't. Nothing too intriguing."

Spencer stared at him. "So you just had a good time with your family?"

"A very good time." There was a pause as she watched Wren debate with himself about something. "Actually, my sister was very curious when it came to you."

Because that wasn't an extremely nondescript yet nerve-wracking thing to say to a girl. "What did she want to know?"

"What you were like, how long we've…known one another, what we talk about."

"What we talk about?" Spencer questioned. That didn't sound like something a girl asked her brother about his girlfriend.

"It would appear that she figured out what was going on between us, unlike my mother."

Before he had finished his sentence, Spencer felt her heart drop. As comfortable as she was with their situation, it wasn't something she wanted anyone else to know. Especially Wren's family. In fact, she had been kind of relieved when Mrs. Kingston had assumed that they were actually dating. If they ever made the connection between her and Wren's broken engagement and then their current friends with benefits status, she could only imagine the things they would think of her.

Hesitantly she said, "So…did your mom say anything about me?" It seemed like the question caught her more off guard than it did him.

"Not really. She liked you better than Melissa." Victory. At least someone liked her better than Melissa. Besides Wren of course. "And she said you were welcome to visit anytime. Although I couldn't exactly explain to complexity of the situation to tell her how unlikely that is."

For a fraction of a second, Spencer had been excited at the prospect. Until reality crashed down on her anyway. "Did your sister say anything else about us?"

The way Wren refused to meet her eyes convinced her that he was about to lie to her. "Not really. Except that she wants to meet you." Spencer filed that piece of information away for the time being.

"She didn't say anything else?"

Wren shook his head, his eyes glancing down to the screen of his phone. Probably pretending that someone was texting him if she could guess correctly. She wanted to push the topic and make him tell her the truth. She wanted to badly. But then she remembered that they were not, in fact, in a relationship. And she didn't want their first fight to be about his sister. She didn't want a first fight with him period.

"Why are you so curious about it anyway? I told you it wasn't that exciting. It was just a relaxing vacation spent with my family. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Spencer nodded. "Okay," she said simply.

"And, I have something for you."

Oh no. Not a souvenir. She hated getting gifts from people, no matter who. Especially when it was from a trip they had taken. Because chances were that she was going to have to fake liking it. It was probably something that he had spent an obnoxious amount of time deciding on and that had been overpriced and easily breakable.

Wren got up, making his way to his belongings. She listened to him rifle through his bags, obviously searching for something. "Close your eyes. And keep in mind, it's nothing that great."

She forced herself to laugh as she felt him settle back on the couch next to her. "Okay, you can look now."

In front of her face was a white plastic bag. Tentatively taking it out of his hands, she peaked inside. Laughing for real this time, she pulled out the first item.

"A box of tea?"

"It's from Fortnum's." At her blank look he continued, "A big store in London that sells great tea. I've noticed you have a bit of a coffee addiction and hoped this might wean you a bit. Also, I still owed you tea." Spencer smiled as she remembered the afternoon in her kitchen that she had rejected his invitation to coffee and tea because she was seeing Toby.

"You drink coffee," she said defensively, taking in the label on the box.

"I do. But not in such mass amounts as you. And I supplement it with a nice cup of tea every now and then." The teasing tone in his voice made her smile grow. Emily would approve of him trying to break her of her caffeine problems. "Go ahead. There's something else."

In her hand, the bag was still weighed down by something. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small glass object.

"You got me a shot glass? With Big Ben on it?" Her fingers traced the almost cartoonish version of the landmark etched on to the glass.

"In case you ever feel the need to get drunk here again. This time, I'll even let you seduce me." Again, Spencer felt herself smiling at the memory of their night after the bar. The morning after, she had been embarrassed about what she had done and said, but looking back on it, she couldn't help but see the humor in it.

The two objects in her hands made her realize how easily he had avoided awkward meaningful souvenirs. Of course, they both did mean something to her, but they weren't overly sentimental or thought out. To tell the truth, they were probably two of the biggest things tourists bought when they visited London.

"I love them," she volunteered before he could ask. "Thank you." She leaned over and brushed her lips against his quickly, loving the fact that he looked so pleased with himself.

"I'm glad." A comfortable silence fell over the room for a time. That is, until she saw the clock. She had class the next day and she wanted to read ahead for an upcoming test. Getting up, she grabbed her backpack and brought it back to the couch.

"Homework?"

She nodded, opening a textbook as he reached forward to grab a book of the coffee table. At least he didn't seem too upset about the fact that they had only had sex once since he had gotten back. Placing her feet on his lap, she began to read.

Not long after, Spencer looked up from her studying at Wren. There was a intent concentration on the book held in front of his face. At the same time, she could see the way his eyes weren't as alert as normal, a definite sense of fatigue around him.

"Can we go to bed now?"

His head turned in her direction, his eyes following a second later after he finished whatever he was in the middle of.

"What about all that?" He nodded towards the various textbooks and notebooks scattered around her.

Spencer shrugged. "I just went over everything and I don't have as much to do as I thought I did. I guess I got more done while you were gone than I thought." That was only a partial truth. Since it was an accelerated course, she had a test in her earlier class the following Tuesday. And then one in her second class that Thursday. Usually, she would have begun studying the day before, but with her excitement for his return, she hadn't been able to focus.

For a moment, Spencer could see Wren debating whether he should question her or just give in. Finally, he sighed, letting the book fall shut as he rubbed his eyes. "I guess I wouldn't mind heading up."

Grinning, she planted her highlighter in her textbook to mark her page and placed it on the table. "Come on." Standing over him, she held out her hand and watched as he took it and pulled himself up.

Upon arriving into his room, they undressed quietly and soon Wren was left in just his boxers as he flopped back onto the bed. As Spencer grabbed a t-shirt out of his drawer, she looked at him. One arm was thrown over his face while the other propped his head up.

"I'm knackered," he mumbled.

She walked over to the bed, laying herself down on top of him so that their bodies were pressed together from head to foot. "I am too." Thank god for air-conditioning.

Spencer thought back to Taylor's loud wake up call that morning at 5. Even Melissa had seemed a little resentful about that one. Yawning, she placed the side of her face to his chest, smiling contently when she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"Just give me a couple of minutes, then I'll welcome you home again." In her mind, she had thought the sentence would sound a lot more alluring than it actually did. In reality, her voice just sounded drowsy and uninterested. Not that it mattered. From the way his breathing had evened out, she could tell that Wren hadn't heard a word that she had said.

* * *

Halfway through the night, Spencer awoke with the hair on the back of her neck standing straight up and an uneasy feeling. From the bedside table, she saw her phone blinking, indicating a new message. With her heart sinking, she picked it up, even though she already knew what it meant.

**I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon. **

**Now it's time to face reality. **

**-A**

* * *

**That's it for now, kids! I hope to update very soon seeing as I've been on a role lately. (I think I was writing the next three chapters all at the same time at one point this week.) In the meantime, review review review!**


	11. The Change

**A/N: Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers, especially June Sujare. Knowing you're reading this story inspires me to keep it going. Sadly, this chapter isn't my favorite. And by that I mean no matter how much I tried I couldn't get it to turn out the way I wanted it to. But here it is anyway. I hope you all enjoy it more than I did. **

* * *

Spencer was avoiding him. Wren was sure of it; he just didn't know why. When he'd gotten back from England, things had been fine. For that day anyway. She had looked more than happy to see him. They had had amazing hot, if not a bit too short-lived sex in the back of her car. She seemed to like her gifts. Everything had been great when they went to bed, too, even if she had fallen asleep on him and given him the worst pins and needles in his arm when he woke up an hour later.

By the next night, things had changed. When he'd finally woken up an entire fourteen hours later, she had been gone. He had known that she needed to be home in the morning to get ready to go to her class, but usually she would have at least said goodbye to him. That wasn't what alerted him to the problem, though. It was that she didn't text him once the entire day, not even after he was sure she would be done.

Still, he hadn't wanted to text her. He wasn't quite sure why, but he knew that when she was able to, she would. Except she hadn't. Finally, he had given in around eight that night, messaging her just to see if she was okay.

Her answer had been vague and not in the coy, sort of sultry way she normally was.

**Fine. I feel asleep after class. I didn't sleep well last night. See you tomorrow?**

Denying how much he was acting like a girl, he had analyzed what she had said. First, she had given him two phrases with no noun. From his history with her, he knew that she preferred to keep her conversations over texting as grammatically correct as possible unless something was wrong. Second, she hadn't asked if she could come over. Up until that time, they had seen each other every day except for the ones he spent away. Even when he worked, she usually showed up at some point and more often than not, stayed the night at his house.

He had even texted her back asking if she wanted to come over, but for the first time, she had said no. She had claimed she was still really tired and would probably be going to bed shortly. Like that had ever stopped her before.

So he'd had an entire evening alone not really knowing what to do with himself. Eventually, he had just gone to bed early, knowing he had work in the morning and that he would get to see her afterwards. Except then she had ditched him again, this time saying she forgot that she had made plans to see Aria and Hanna.

The first thing that had crossed his mind was that she was lying. As horrible as it was, he just didn't think that she was being honest about it. But then again, they had spent a majority of the summer together so far and he knew she must miss her friends. And that they had to be getting suspicious about where she had been.

Still, he wasn't used to spending time alone. For the life of him, he could not remember what he did in his spare time before that day on the playground. Nothing of significance apparently. After Melissa and he had broken up, he had ended up isolating himself a little bit from his friends. He couldn't remember what he did then either. Probably just felt guilty and thought about Spencer a lot. And then felt guilty for that.

Until Spencer had made an appearance back in his life, he'd even gone back to having social interactions that weren't with his patients on a semi-regular basis. Of course, he'd let those few friends fall by the wayside again after the recent developments.

After what felt like forever, Spencer had texted him on Friday and told him her family was leaving early. As in right then. She hadn't even asked him to come over. Just a simple, **Change of plans. They're leaving now instead of Sunday.**

Did that mean he was supposed to go over? Should he wait for her to ask him? Or had she already implied it? In the end, he had settled on a simple **Want company?** text, figuring she wouldn't say no to that. Except she had. This time it was that Jason was in town and wanted to get together with her last minute. As much as he wanted them to start having a normal sibling relationship, he couldn't help but wish they didn't have to start right then.

He almost hadn't been able to believe it when he'd woken up on Saturday and seen a text from Spencer on his phone. **Come over?** She didn't even need to ask. He'd only been wanting to see her for the past two days. If he was a spiteful person, he would have told her that he already had plans and couldn't make it. Of course, he was out the door not even ten minutes after getting her message.

When he got to her house, he didn't even hesitate before parking in the driveway. It's not like anyone would be home to wonder why he was there. Spencer didn't answer when he knocked and she wouldn't pick up her phone, but he noticed that the side door was slightly open. He called her name, but there was no response, only two loud thuds from upstairs. From her room to be more precise.

He quickly pushed inside, worried that something had happened. He started up the stairs, taking them two at a time and moved down the hallway until her reached her door. It was open halfway and he let out a sigh of relief when he saw her standing in front of her window with her arms wrapped around herself. He continued to watch for a second, long enough for her to turn from her position and start to pace back and forth, still not noticing his presence.

"Spencer?" He said it lightly, with a smile on his face, but she still jumped high, whirling around to face him and letting an envelope he hadn't noticed before drop out of her hands and onto the floor.

"Wren! What are you doing here?" Her hand was on her chest, as if trying to slow down her heart.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. You texted me to come over so I did and the door was open downstairs so I got a bit worried and then I heard a noise from up here and I got even more worried so I came up and…" He trailed off, feeling bad for having frightened her so bad.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly for a minute and breathed in deeply. When she opened them again, she shook her head. "It's okay. Don't be sorry. I just…thought I was alone was all."

She bent down to pick up the envelope she had dropped. He saw that there were pictures inside, though he couldn't see of what, which she quickly shoved back inside. From the way her forehead was creased, anyone would be able to see that something was wrong.

"Everything okay?"

She hesitated for a second before nodding. "Of course it is," she said as she walked over to her bedside table and threw the envelope in the top drawer, making sure it was completely shut before turning back to him. "Why wouldn't it be?"

But he could see from the way her arms were wrapped around herself again and how she was biting her lip that she wasn't being honest with him. Every time they made eye contact, her eyes would stay on his for a quick second and then flicker away to something else.

He shrugged, suddenly feeling a little foolish for his reaction. "I heard a noise from downstairs? Did you knock something over?"

Her eyes darted to something behind him quickly before she said, "Yeah, yeah. I, um, knocked a book off my bookshelf by accident." He turned around, first looking at the rather large blue book laying open on the floor, and then looked at the wall, where he could barely make out a faint blue scratch which could have only been made by her throwing it.

He faced her again, his eyebrows raised. He had seen her angry before, but never lose her temper enough to do something physical like that. She ran her hand through her hair, still not meeting his eyes, before opening her mouth to say something.

"Listen Wren-"

"Spencer-"

They both paused, laughing a little bit and he was beyond relieved to see that she was at least still able to smile.

Before he could say anything, she rushed on. "Wren, I know I asked you over but this isn't really a good time. I have a lot of homework I need to do and two tests next week I have to study for. Plus Aria and Hanna are supposed to be coming over tonight." She ran her hand through her hair again, a little nervously he thought. And suddenly it occurred to him that she was lying. He knew there was something going on, something that was upsetting her.

In two seconds he was across the room and standing in front of her. She seemed a little surprised at his sudden nearness, but didn't step back, which he took to be a good sign.

"Spencer, if something is bothering you, you know that you can talk to me, right?"

She nodded distractedly, still unable to meet his eyes.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head, biting down harder on her lip and letting her eyes fall shut. When she opened them, he could see she was trying hard not to cry.

He placed his hands on her hips, looking at her intently, for once glad that there was barely any difference in their heights. She was blinking hard, obviously trying to pull herself back together before she answered him. Finally, she shook her head again and looked at his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it. There's nothing you can do."

He watched as she looked away again, her eyes traveling over the the items on her shelves. He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, he felt her relax a little bit, as she put her arms around his neck. "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. I'll still be here if you ever do need something, though."

He felt her entire body stiffen a little bit at his words. He pulled back a little bit to see that her eyes were filling with tears again. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Was it something I said? Did I sufficiently put my foot in my mouth as usual?"

She laughed, the first real smile he had seen from her yet today, even as she coughed and wiped under her eyes hastily. As she looked up at him and shook her head, she said, "You're too nice to me."

He looked at her in astonishment. She thought he was too nice? He found that beyond ridiculous. He didn't say anything, just watched as the smile slowly dropped off of her face, and the worried look in her eyes returned. "Spencer." Her eyes quickly met his as he leaned in closer to her face. "That could never be true." She held the eye contact with him until the very last second, closing her eyes right before his lips met hers.

It was a very calm kiss. Chaste compared to everything they had done together. He pulled back with a smile on his face. "Are you positive that there's nothing I can do for you?"

Immediately, there was a change in her attitude. He watched as her eyes flickered down to his lips, then glanced at the bed next to them, before moving back up to look at him. For a moment, she debated with herself until finally a determined look settled on her face. A second before she kissed him, he realized what she had thought he was implying when he asked her that.

But then she was kissing him roughly, her hands on both sides of his face, and she wasn't wasting any time in pushing him back onto the bed. The tips of her hair brushed against his face as she leaned over him and her knees squeezed against the sides of his hips, giving away the fact that she wanted to be close to him.

The actions between them were hungry, their teeth clashing every now and then in her frenzy. Those short moaning noises she made in the back of her throat were driving him crazy and he had to admit it was hot, her taking over like that. At the same time, part of him also felt guilty for letting it happen that way. He tried to slow her down, running his hands up her legs and slipping his fingers underneath the bottom of her shirt gently, but she pushed them away forcefully.

And then she was gone. He stared at her, already missing the contact between them until he saw her reasoning. She pulled her shirt off and stood up, her hands going to her pants. The only logical thing left for him to do was undress himself. So he sat up and pulled his shirt off, taking to opportunity to slide up the bed until he was right below her pillows.

In the meantime, she had managed to rid herself of all of her clothing except her bra and underwear. With that, she turned to him, hastily pulling off his shoes off and then yanking his pants down. She did the same with his boxers, leaving him completely naked on her bed. He wasn't sure if he liked the fact that she wasn't as exposed as he was, but then she was climbing back onto the bed and he forgot to care anymore.

One thing he had noticed was that she had become quite equipped at using her nails. As in she'd started scratching him, but not in painful way. More in a lust induced passionate frenzied type of way. Her mouth had left a wet trail down his torso and he was sure he wasn't going to be able to be shirtless in public for awhile. Then both of her hands were on his legs and she was moving further down the bed and he realized right before it was too late what she was about to do.

He sat up and grabbed her shoulders quickly, his hands pulling her up until they were face to face. It had taken all of his self control to stop her from going there, but he knew that he wasn't going to take advantage of her when she was in a mood like this. It was clear she didn't understand why he had stopped her from the confused look on her face, but instead of explaining he just kissed her again, hoping she wouldn't question it.

He felt her shift her weight, but didn't think anything of it until all of the sudden he was inside of her. Wren groaned loudly, trying not to come right then, and looked up to see that all she had done was slip her underwear to the side.

Neither of them said anything, as the sounds of their panting filled the room. Her eyes were closed and he suddenly realized that this was the first time they had ever had sex without talking or joking around with one another. It was also the first time that they had been in that particular position. Any normal guy would have been trying to figure out how he got lucky enough to have someone like Spencer on top of them, but of course he just couldn't get his mind off trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Instinctively, he knew that whatever had happened earlier had been a bigger deal than she had let on. And now that her controlling nature was making an even bigger appearance then usual, he figured that his best bet was just to go with it. At least until they were done and he could try to pry some answers out of her.

It took her a bit to get comfortable and even longer to find a rhythm that suited her, but once she had, he was unable to think about anything else. It may have been a touch too slow for him, but knowing how kindly she took to criticism, he wisely chose to remain silent.

In some remote part of his brain, he knew that he should be doing more than just laying there letting her do all the work. She had been the one upset, and somehow she had ended up being the one who was making him feel better. He prided himself on being a gentleman (not counting when he kissed his fiance's little sister) and completely believed that her needs needed to be met before his.

"I've been wanting to do this since that day on the playground." Wren's eyes snapped open when he heard her whisper in his ear. He had missed the exact moment when she had leaned over him like that. Her voice was raspy and uneven from being out of breath and her hair was still hanging in his face.. "There's just something that really gets me when I think about you being underneath me." He groaned, still matching her stroke for stroke. "And I was right." He panted, gripping her hips tightly. "The look in your eyes when I took control…" She tailed off, resting the side of her face against his before continuing. "Do you want to know something?"

He panted in time with her movements, but didn't answer her. "Do you want to know something?" This time, her tone was more persistent. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, unable to speak as she brought one hand to meet his and laced their fingers together over their heads. "You're going to come," she paused briefly and he could picture the smirk on her face, "within the next two minutes I'm estimating, after barely touching me this entire time." He half-laughed, half grunted, knowing she was right, but being unable to do anything about it.

"Spencer…" He trailed off. She leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes briefly before looking him straight at him. Her eyes were even darker than normal, clouded with passion and lust, and just a hint of frenzy. He leaned up and captured her mouth in his, just as she clenched her walls around him. She sped up their pace, squeezing his hands in hers, not relenting until he knew it was all over.

Gradually, they slowed down and as he tried to get his heart rate back to normal, he felt her lace her fingers through his and squeeze his hand. Reluctantly, she rolled off of her him, still holding on to him, but also not curling up into him like she normally did.

As soon as he felt like he could gather his wits about him, Wren looked at Spencer. She had an semi embarrassed smile on her face. And if he wasn't mistaken, there was a little bit of pride mixed in there as well. His eyes wandered down her body, taking in her bra and underwear, and suddenly he felt exposed next to her. To fix the situation, he glanced around for a blanket or something he could throw over them since they were on top of the covers.

It was almost like Spencer read his mind. She brought her other hand up to his face and forced him to look at her before kissing him. This kiss wasn't like the others. It wasn't exactly chaste, but it definitely wasn't as frantic as what they had just done.

As they lay there, he had the time to think about the fact that she seemed much less uptight than she had been when he got there. Most of the tension seemed to have left her body, and even though he knew she was still keeping something from him, it also seemed like she wasn't so worked up about it anymore.

Spencer rolled on top of him, grinning as she continued to kiss him, only pulling back to see the skeptical look on his face. He was going to need a little bit more time than that before round two. She kissed him again swiftly and then rolled to the other side of him to get off of the bed.

She bent over, giving him a nice view of her behind and threw his boxers to him before going to her bureau and pulling out some clothes.

"Spencer?"

"Mhm?" She didn't look at him, but just made a questioning noise in the back of her throat.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around with a small pile of clothes in her arms and a smile on her face. "I going to go shower." He nodded, still a little confused. She walked back over, putting one knee on the bed and brushing her lips across his. "There's nothing I would like more than to lie here with you all day, but my friends really are coming over tonight and I don't want to smell like sex when they get here."

He nodded again. Then she leaned in close to his ear. "Plus there's something I need to take care of," she whispered. His eyebrows rose. The look on her face left little doubt in his mind what she could mean. She kissed the corner of his mouth one last time, and then she was gone, out the door before he could even collect his thoughts.

He lay there for a minute, listening to her move around in the bathroom. The water turned on and suddenly it dawned on him that she was going to be right down the hall, doing what he liked to think of as his job. He stayed there for another second and then sprung out of bed, throwing his boxers on the floor and leaving the room in record speed.

Showering with Spencer was one of his favorite pastimes. Not because of sex, although that was pretty great too, but for a reason he couldn't quite explain. He loved the way her hair looked when it was wet. He loved the way her body was so relaxed under the stream of water. He loved that she needed the water to be as hot as she could stand it, just before it got to the point of being uncomfortable. And he loved the way she got playful.

For one, her demeanor had completely turned around since he had shown up. Now, she was teasing and joking and letting him press her up against the wall even though she wouldn't allow him to go any further. They spent a good amount of time like that, just laughing and not doing much of anything productive except waste water.

Although it had started off with a distinctive flirty air about it, their shower soon turned relatively innocent. Somehow, Spencer had ended up leaning against him as his hands massaged her lower back. With her head on his chest, she appeared to be more at ease than he had seen her all day.

For a second, he was positive that she was going to say something, that she was going to tell him what it was that was making her act that way. She had stilled against him and her mouth had opened, but then she accidentally brushed against him, making him freeze and grasp her hips to stop her from moving. "Spencer, I know it might seem difficult, but I need you to be a bit more still if you expect this to last for any longer."

And just like that, the moment was gone and she was smirking at him from under her eyelashes. The fact that he had ruined his chance of getting her to talk frustrated him. He tried to get it back, hugging her to him and kissing the side of her neck briefly, but it was no use. Her mind had gone somewhere else.

She pulled away from him, beginning to go about what he guessed was her normal shower routine. There was nothing else for him to do, so he was content to just watch. As she picked up a bottle and began to wash her hair, she smiled back at him again.

"When I was little I would pretend to be Martha Washington when I washed my hair."

Wren grinned, knowing that Spencer almost never talked about her childhood so candidly. "Really?"

Still smiling, she nodded at him. "We did this play about the presidents in first grade and I remember my teacher telling us about her. I don't know why she always stuck out in my mind. And then I saw a picture of her with all this white hair piled on top of her head and for some reason it made me want to be like her. I even used to speak with an accent every time I took a bath. I don't think my mom knew what to do with me."

An image of a very young Spencer with soapy hair and fake accent sprang to mind. "I can see why."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She shot him a playful look.

"It simply means that I find it very hard to imagine you being a silly person, even as a kid."

Spencer gave him another look. "Well, I was. For awhile anyway."

Squinting his eyes at her, he teased, "Are you sure? Maybe from the time you born until…about two weeks later, but after that I'm not so sure."

"I was! You can ask Melissa. She always played right along with me when I got into those moods."

Wren grimaced. He wouldn't be asking Melissa anything about Spencer any time soon. Suddenly, he got an idea. "Prove it then."

For the first time, she looked confused. "Prove what?"

"I'm sure you remember what you used to do. So show me. Because I'm having a very hard time picturing it myself."

It almost looked like she was going to agree right away. And then she saw his smirk. "No."

"Why not?"

Spencer crossed her arms. "Because it's embarrassing and I know you only want me to do it so you can make fun of me later."

Taking a step closer, Wren shook his head and tried to think of a way to convince her. "You're embarrassed to do something in front of me? I think we would be even after I showed up here drunk and broke your plant."

When she didn't answer right away, he knew that she was at least considering it. Not enough though. "We are even. You aren't the only who who's gotten drunk and made an ass out of yourself."

His was still worse, in his mind anyway. "I would hardly say that night was embarrassing for you. More like…incredibly hot."

That earned him an eye roll from Spencer as she shook her head and looked away.

"Please will you show me?" He took another step closer. "I promise I won't laugh at you." What he actually meant was that he would promise to try not to laugh.

Surprisingly, she gave in. "Fine. But I don't know why you're so set on this. It's not even funny." The fact that she had actually agreed to it caught him off guard. He had thought it would have to do a lot more convincing before she agreed. Her hands moved fast, and he watched in amusement as all of her hair ended up piled on the top of her head. There actually was a striking resemblance to all the pictures of the First Lady he had seen.

"Happy?"

With her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed when she saw his mouth twitch. As hard as he tried to suppress it, he just couldn't stop himself from smirking. The only thing he could manage do to was nod his head once before he started laughing. The response earned him yet another glare, although he could tell she wasn't completely serious, before she went to step under the stream of water to rinse the soap out.

Just as she was about to be under the stream of water, he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Wait. I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh like that." Even as she raised an eyebrow at him, he failed at holding back another chuckle. "I'm serious. It's just…you look ridiculous."

"Hey!" She tried to pull away from him and this time Wren couldn't tell if she was genuinely offended or just playing along with their game.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me. You make a very stunning Martha Washington. Although, I'm fairly certain she didn't look anything like you under those dresses she wore."

Spencer shook her head, studying the shower wall in order to hide her smile.

"I see you smiling. I know you think it's funny as well."

Reluctantly, she nodded and let him pull her close once again. He placed a finger on her chin, turning her head so that she had to look at him. "I think that George Washington would have been very lucky to have a girl like you to come home to every evening. Even though I imagine it would have been unpleasant for you. Wooden teeth and all that, you know."

"That was myth." Of course she would correct him when he was trying to make a joke. Still, there was a grin on her face and she wasn't trying to pull away from him anymore.

"I know, Spencer," he mumbled, pressing his lips against hers.

Briefly, she let him kiss her but then her hands were on his chest, pushing him away. "Are you happy? I showed you. Now turn around."

He looked at her indignantly. "What? Why? It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before. I've been looking at you this entire time."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Because I need to actually get out of this shower at some point. Now turn around."

He pretended to look hurt, turning slowly like she asked him to. Before he was completely facing away from her though, he caught her rolling her eyes at him once again before continuing her routine. Every once in awhile, he would peek over his shoulder, only to be caught by her looking at him with her eyebrows raised. Each time, he would turn back around silently, only to repeat the action a moment later.

Finally, she was done and let him know by yanking him back around roughly."Now it's your turn." Her hand reached out to grab the shampoo and before he could stop her she was massaging his scalp forcefully. It actually felt quite good. "You know, I don't think I've needed someone to help me shower since the first time I got drunk."

She snorted and shook her head. "Were you pissed?" she teased in a voice that was obviously an imitation of his. Laughing in agreement, he nodded. "I was indeed."

Shaking her head again, she pushed him under the shower head to rinse out his hair. And he would have thought she wouldn't be quite so bossy somewhere as relaxing as the shower.

After she was finished, she grabbed a bar of soap and held it up threateningly. "Can I trust you to do this yourself or am I going to have to help you with that too?"

"I think I've got it from here," he said, taking the object from her. Her hands rung out her hair as she prepared to get out. A sense of disappointment went through him as he watched her.

"You're really not going to stay? I thought we were..."

At least she looked regretful when she heard his words. "I know. I did too. But I really need to get ready. I wasn't lying earlier when I said my friends were coming over. I don't even know what time it is."

Unenthusiastically, he nodded. Something in his face must have made her feel bad, because before stepping out of the shower she kissed him again, softly and then whispered, "Later."

As soon as she was gone, he hurried to finish. "I forgot a shirt. I'll be in my room whenever you finish," she said over the sound of the water.

"Okay," he called back while his mind began to wander. It didn't take him long to be done and soon he was stepping out of the shower only to realize that he had left all of his clothes in Spencer's room. Not that he exactly wanted to get back into clothes he had already worn anyway.

Quickly wrapping a towel around his waist and grabbing the other one Spencer had left out for him to dry his hair, he headed down the hallway towards her room. In hindsight, he should have been more observant of his surroundings. But by the time he heard the voices, it was too late. He was already calling out. "Spencer. You don't by chance have any of my old clothes lying around here do you?"

The silence that met him was enough to make him look up. Spencer's eyes were wide as she stood in the middle of her room staring at him. And there were her friends, Hanna and Aria, if he was remembering correctly, standing near her and also staring at him.

For a second there was silence. Extremely uncomfortable silence. It would appear that even though there were four of them there, none of them could think of something to say.

"Umm." Wren wanted to kick himself. The first thing out of his mouth was 'um?" The least he could have done was tried to come up with some kind of excuse. But then he saw his boxers on the floor next to Spencer's bed and the fact that all of her sheets were messed up in a pretty obvious way and he knew there wasn't any lie that could cover up what had been going on.

"Okay. I think we're going to go now." Wren breathed out a sigh of relief when Aria was the first one to speak up. At least someone had. In his mind he had seem an infinite amount of time of them just standing there staring at each other like idiots.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Spencer nod, suddenly completely interested in the carpet. "That might be a good idea," she mumbled.

"We'll talk later," Aria said as she slowly made her way towards the door. "Come on Hanna."

Wren stepped aside awkwardly as they passed, smiling tightly as they both muttered goodbye to him. Hanna was the last one to leave and she lingered for a second at the doorway, just staring at Spencer. As soon as the dark-haired girl noticed, she shot Hanna a confused look.

"What?"

Hanna just smirked. "We'll talk later."

Spencer rolled her eyes and looked away. "I know." At least he wasn't the only one she made those faces at. Hanna's eyes flickered to Wren for a second and he wondered if she was going to say anything to him. Instead, she looked back at Spencer. "Just make sure you're being safe. I'm not ready to be an aunt yet."

Hanna left then, shutting the door behind her and Wren looked up to see Spencer blushing furiously. "I can't believe she just said that. I can't believe that just happened." Instantly, he was across the room and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry," he murmured in her ear.

Shaking her head, she answered, "It's not your fault. I should have been keeping track of what time it was. I knew they were coming over. I just didn't realize how much time had passed."

Wren laughed. "Well, we were a bit preoccupied." Thankfully, she smiled with him. Grinning, he kissed her neck softly. "They didn't seem like they minded too much anyway."

Feeling her shoulders shrug, his lips moved down to her collarbone. "I know. We've just… They never… I've never…" She trailed off, at a loss from words, although he couldn't tell if it was from the what had just happened or what he was doing to her.

"Never what?"

"Walked in on…" Again, she stopped, this time tilting her head back so he could get better access and assuring him that it was he who was causing her to lose her train of thought. All the same, he kept going, pushing her hair aside and scraping his teeth against the back of her neck.

"Are you going to finish your sentence?"

She made a noise in the back of her throat, causing him to laugh and pull away. At the loss of contact, she made another noise, although this one didn't have the same content tone to it. Finally, she said, "None of us have ever walked in on one another with someone before."

"It's not like they actually walked in on anything happening."

"But they knew. They had to have known. We both just got out of the shower."

"Then I guess it would appear that I'm making Spencer Hastings careless, aren't I?"

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't protest. Instead, she let him open her mouth when he kissed her hard. "Since they're gone, how about we finish where we left off in the shower?"

For the first time ever, Spencer didn't jump at the chance. Her hesitation made Wren nervous, unsure about what reason she could ever have to say no.

"I don't know." She didn't know? She didn't know if she wanted to have sex with him? That was surely something he had never expected to hear coming from her mouth.

"What do you mean?"

By the way she was still against him, he had to wonder if she even knew why she was questioning it. "Spencer?"

"Wren, what…?" There was the same unsure tone in her voice that she had spoken with in the shower letting him know that she was on the verge of spilling. But then she gave her head a slight shake and squeezed her eyes shut. "I guess we're doing this again."

They were? That was a sudden turn of events. And she didn't have to sound so enthused about it. After she had left him thoroughly confused, he wasn't sure if it was the right time to dig for details or just let it go. Knowing she wouldn't respond well to an invasion of privacy, he decided on the latter.

"Your parents won't be home until…?"

"Next week." She laughed for a second, another period of hesitation and then she asked him, "Stay with me tonight?"

"There's nothing I would rather do."

He kissed her again, walking her towards the bed. As they fell onto it clumsily, she laughed. "Are we ever going to stop being like this?"

God, he hoped not.

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**Make sure to review. Your opinions and thoughts mean the world to me. And I would be very open to suggestions from people about what they want to see. Thanks again for reading!**


	12. The Talk

**A/N: Thank you so so much to anyone who had reviewed this story. I would never have kept writing if it weren't for you guys. **

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Spencer was lying on her back next to the pool, dozing with her headphones in and one arm thrown over her face. Wren was passed out on his stomach next to her, once again amazing her with how quickly he fell asleep. It was warm outside, soon to be hot as the sun rose even higher, and she was thinking that it was almost time to cool down in the pool when she felt a shadow fall over her body.

At first, she thought it was just a cloud, passing in front of the sun and would be gone soon. But then something told her that she was being watched, that she needed to look, just to be sure. Shifting her arm, she squinted up and quickly realized there actually was someone standing over her.

The sun was directly behind their head, completely blocking out their face. The only thing Spencer could make out was long, curled blond hair spilling down their shoulder and a pair of almost dangerously high heels on their perfectly pedicured feet.

"Ali?" Spencer couldn't stop herself from whispering. She had to be dreaming. They had been laying there and the warmth of the day had lulled her to sleep without her ever realizing it. Either that or she was hallucinating.

"What did you just call me?"

Immediately, Spencer recognized the voice and knew exactly how wrong she was.

"Hanna?"

Sitting up, she saw that it was in fact Hanna standing in front of her, hands on her hips and a slightly annoyed expression on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"You said you would call me. You said you would call me last night and you never did. And you never answered my texts this morning. I thought something happened." The accusation in her tone made Spencer's mouth fall open even though she felt too guilty to actually say something right away. It hadn't been her intention to scare Hanna or make her feel like she was avoiding her.

"I'm sorry. I forgot last night and I left my phone upstairs when we came out here earlier." When Hanna didn't answer, Spencer repeated. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever," Hanna said, rolling her eyes. "It's not a big deal." She looked down at Wren then back to Spencer. "And I can see you're busy so I'll just go."

"Wait! No, don't leave!" Spencer scrambled to stand up, dropping her iPod on the concrete in her haste. As she bent to pick it up, Wren mumbled something in his sleep. "Let's go inside," she continued, praying that Hanna would agree. The blonde girl didn't take well to being ditched. It hurt her feelings and Spencer knew that a hurt Hanna was also an unforgiving and scornful Hanna.

After a second of obvious internal debate, Hanna nodded, turning on her heel and marching back towards the house. Spencer hurried after her, closing the sliding glass door behind her and twisting to see Hanna sitting at the counter in the kitchen, tapping her nails on the granite impatiently. The noise was already beginning to drive Spencer crazy.

She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose, already sick of the way she had been stuffy since waking up that morning. She grabbed a bottle of water as well before clearing her throat and crossing the kitchen to sit next to Hanna. Her throat felt scratchy and her eyes suddenly wouldn't stop watering.

"What's wrong with you?" Hanna's eyebrows were raised as she started at Spencer.

Spencer waved her hand. "Allergies."

Hanna seemed to accept her answer. And then she dove right in. "So when did all that start?" Her hand waved vaguely in the directing of the Hastings' pool.

Someone definitely wasn't wasting any time. Even though she knew exactly what the other girl was asking, Spencer needed time to gather her thoughts. Hoping to stall, she replied, "All what?"

Hanna rolled her eyes and huffed. "Are you serious?"

Spencer sighed. Hanna was in a downright bitchy mood and it was about the last thing the taller girl felt like dealing with right then. "A couple weeks before school."

Spencer watched Hanna's face as she did the calculation in her head. "Two months? You've been doing…whatever you've been doing with him for two months? And you never thought to tell us? What happened to the part about us not keeping secrets from one another any more? Or did you forget about that?"

"I was going to tell you." Before Hanna could protest, Spencer continued, "I was. I was planning on telling you soon. I was just trying to figure out how."

"It's not really that hard to be like 'Hey, me and Wren are screwing around behind everyone's backs. Just thought you guys might like to know since you're my _best friends._' That's all it would have taken."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Spencer looked away. "I know. I know. I just didn't want…"

"You didn't want what?"

"I didn't want to see the look on your face. You know, the judgmental one you have on right now."

Hanna at least had the decency to look the tiniest bit sorry. "I'm not judging you. I just wish I would have known sooner."

"Well, you know now. I can't change that I decided not to tell you sooner." Hanna wasn't the only one who was feeling testy.

There was a lull in the conversation as Spencer waited for whatever else Hanna was going to start about. Finally, Hanna's face softened into a slightly less irritated look. "So you and Wren, huh?" Spencer nodded, relieved that the other girl just seemed to be thawing a little bit. "I can't believe you gave it up to him."

Typical Hanna. "Please," Spencer responded. "You act like you didn't sleep with Caleb when you hadn't even known him for very long. You were barely even going out. At least Wren and I have known each other for awhile. We have history."

"A history of cheating and sneaking around apparently. And don't get so defensive. I was just stating a fact."

"That wasn't a fact. It was your opinion."

Hanna glared at her. Usually, she didn't care if Spencer corrected her, but for once Spencer could tell she wasn't in the mood to hear it.

"You know what I mean," Hanna replied testily. She started tapping her nails again and for the first time, Spencer took a second to actually look at the other girl. Like always, she was put together perfectly, not a hair out of place, her outfit matching her shoes, make-up done in a way that was meant to look natural. But something was wrong.

Her legs were crossed and Spencer could see her foot tapping rapidly in time with her nails. There seemed to be a nervous energy about her and for someone who wasn't scared of eye contact, Hanna seemed to be looking anywhere but Spencer's face.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer finally asked.

Hanna shrugged. "Yeah, of course."

"Hanna, how long have I known you? I can tell you're lying to me."

"It's nothing." And then she shook her head. "Caleb's in California. He's visiting his mom. He's been gone for two weeks." Since she had just been through basically the same thing, Spencer thought that maybe she could sympathize.

"I know you miss him. Wren was just in England for a week and it sucked. I'm sure he misses you just as much though."

"No." Hanna's voice had an edge to it as she glared at Spencer. "I mean, I know that. That's not what's bothering me. I'm used to Caleb being gone. It sucks and every time he goes, I miss him more than the time before. But I've gotten used to it. What's bothering me is the fact that you didn't even know he was gone, did you?" Apparently, Spencer had been wrong about knowing how Hanna was feeling.

Spencer shook her head slowly, again feeling guilty for her apparently noticeable absence that summer. "That's because you haven't been around. It's like ever since Toby left, you checked out. Half the time, you don't answer me or Aria when we call you or text you. The other half you're making excuses about why you can't go out. Neither of us knew what was going on with you until yesterday. Do you know we were actually beginning to get worried about you? We thought you were like sitting depressed in your room alone every day."

Spencer didn't even have a chance to open her mouth before Hanna was moving on. "Aria's been taking these photography classes and spending all her time with Mr. Fitz since he got back from visiting his family." It must have been the summer of family reunions for everyone then. "Which is fine. I get that she wants to spend all of her time with him now that they can actually be seen in the daytime like normal people, but Emily isn't here either. And I miss her. I miss her being there when we wake up and talking about whatever's bothering me before we go to sleep. It's weird to not have her around. I feel like I could handle everything a whole hell of a lot better if at least one of you had hadn't lost your minds. I mean, it feels exactly like the summer when Ali disappeared."

Spencer froze, her stomach dropping in the way it always did when someone brought that up. "What do you mean?" she managed to ask.

"I mean," Spencer watched as Hanna's eyes darted to the look at the clock on the wall as she thought. "That summer, Alison was gone. Obviously, she's still gone. Aria moved to Iceland and now Emily's in freaking Haiti building houses for orphans or whatever. You dropped off the face of the planet again, just like you did back then. Emily spent all summer with Ben and now Aria's been with Mr. Fitz all the time. The only difference is that back then I had Mona and now I don't."

Another name that made her cringe. Spencer knew that everything Hanna was saying was true. She'd gotten so caught up in her own issues, she hadn't even thought about how Hanna was doing with the whole Mona thing. Apparently, not great.

"Hanna, I am so sorry."

"It's fine, Spencer." But it obviously wasn't anywhere close to being fine. She was relieved to hear that Hanna calming back down a little bit but she also knew there was a way to go before she was back to normal. "I just don't want us to stop being friends like last time. Because it sucked. And to be honest, I don't think I could handle it this time around." Spencer nodded in agreement. It had sucked. Once she's stopped talking to the three of them, she'd basically isolated herself from people in general, concentrating on her school work and field hockey in a way that was even more intense then her usual routine.

"That won't happen again. I promise."

Hanna nodded, rolling the hem of her dress between her fingers as she looked down. "I know." There was a pause in their conversation and then quietly Hanna said, "Is it wrong of me to miss her?"

Instinctively, Spencer knew she was talking about Mona, not Emily or Alison or Aria. "Not at all," she replied, although deep down she wasn't sure how Hanna could miss anyone who had done what Mona did. "She was your best friend. You don't just move on from that. I mean, how long did it take us all to get used to the idea of Alison being gone?"

"A really long fricken time," Hanna muttered. "I don't want to feel that was about Mona. Sometimes when I wake up I still start to text her before I remember. Just like I did with Ali." Hanna stopped and smiled sadly. "You know, for awhile I would text Ali anyway, just hoping she was still alive somewhere, but couldn't answer me right then."

Spencer nodded. She had done the same thing for months. "This isn't like last time though. We know better than to lose touch. We've been through too much together."

Hanna stayed silent for a minute before asking, "Have you talked to Em lately?"

Guiltily, Spencer shook her head, trying to remember the last time she had even had any sort of contact Emily. Definitely not since school had let out.

"She doesn't sound good. She'd taking the news about Maya really hard. Still." The entire end of the school year had been rough for Emily, who pretty much only showed up to school to stare blankly at the board. She'd stopped turning assignments in and had taken to avoiding them in the hallway. Thankfully, Hanna was so persistent that a lot of the time Emily had no choice but be around them.

"I know for a fact that she's not only building houses down there. She's been drinking a lot. I didn't even know they had parties in Haiti but apparently she'd been able to find them. And you know how Emily gets when she drinks." Belligerent. Spiteful. Careless. Spencer could see exactly why Hanna was worried.

"I'll try to talk to her," Spencer offered. "And I promise I'll be around more. I guess I got more caught up in my own stuff than I realized."

Hanna smirked. "I guess if I had someone like him to be caught up in I would be a little M.I.A. for awhile too."

Rolling her eyes, Spencer couldn't keep the grin off her face. At least Hanna was acting more like her normal self. Once the dirty innuendos began, all was right with the blonde. "So tell me how it happened."

This was a conversation Spencer wasn't too keen on having. But she also didn't want Hanna to think that she was keeping things from her. Maybe a cliffs notes version would suffice.

"I don't know. We just ran into one another towards the end of May and got to talking and then things just went from there."

"So you just happened to see him and then you decided to…"

"No! Well I wanted to. But when he found out I hadn't ever done…that before, he said we should wait."

Hanna snorted. "He did?"

Nodding, Spencer bit her lip to stop herself from grinning too broadly. "He said he didn't want me to regret it."

Hanna looked shocked, and for once almost at a loss for words. "Maybe he's gay."

Almost.

"Really, Hanna?"

The blonde laughed. "Come on. I'm just trying to make a joke. Obviously he's not gay if the two of you have been f-"

"Alright!"

Rolling her eyes, Hanna sighed. "I always thought that once you had sex you wouldn't be so repressed. I guess I was wrong."

This time it was Spencer's turn to roll her eyes. "I was never repressed. Why do people keep saying that to me? I'm just not crude like you are."

"I take that offensively."

"Good. I meant it offensively."

For a second, neither one of them said anything. But of course, Hanna was the one to break the silence. "You know I never would have pegged you as someone who was rough in bed but from the hickeys I saw on him yesterday and the scratches I saw today I guess I was wrong about that too."

Debating over whether the statement warranted a response or not, Spencer didn't answer. She also didn't notice Hanna's expression turn serious as she thought of something else. "Can I ask you something?"

As soon as she looked up, Spencer saw the change in mood on Hanna's face. "Anything."

"Are you happy?"

That made Spencer pause. Was she happy? She hadn't been happy for so long that a part of her didn't remember what it even felt like anymore. Alison had disappeared and then A had started torturing them and even after they had found out it was Mona, it had taken months for her to settle back into any sort of version of ordinary life. And then Toby had broken up with her, shattering any form of normalcy she had managed to achieve.

But then Wren had shown up and despite the fact that she had a new secret to keep, she was fairly certain that she was happy, just from having him around. Almost without realizing it, she began to nod.

When Hanna saw her, though, the blonde girl nodded too. "You might be the only one." Spencer was surprised to hear that. She would have thought that Aria at least was happy. Like she knew exactly was Spencer was thinking, Hanna added, "Aria's still having a hard time with her parents since they found out. I think they're going to split up. And obviously Em isn't in a very good place right now."

"And you?"

Hanna shrugged. "For the most part, I am. I mean, like I said before there are times when I literally cannot get Mona and everything she did to us out of my head, but I try to block it out. Caleb helps a lot." As usual, Hanna sped through topics like her mind couldn't stay focused on the same one for longer than a minute. "Can I ask you something else?"

Spencer nodded, wondering how long Hanna was going to keep going with the curiosity. "If you're happy with Wren, why haven't you told anyone?"

Spencer laughed, although more out of bitterness than humor. "Are you kidding me? Can you imagine that conversation with my parents? With Melissa? Just when things are starting to settle down between us again?"

Looking confused, Hanna asked, "But if you're secretly dating Wren, you could have at least told us."

And they were back to the fact that Hanna's feelings were hurt from Spencer's secrecy. Before Spencer could say anything else, though, something clicked in her head. Dating. Hanna had said that they were dating. But they weren't.

"Hanna, Wren and I aren't dating. This isn't like it was with Aria and Mr. Fitz. We're just…" Unsure how to finish her sentence, Spencer waited for Hanna to understand.

"You're just…? Oh. Oh!" There was an incredulous look on Hanna's face. "Are you serious? Spencer Hastings doesn't do friends with benefits. Isn't that something you told us years ago?"

It was. Spencer remembered saying it back when Alison had been alive, right around the time that boys had actually started to take an interest in her.

"I did say that. But it was a long time ago. Things changed."

"So now you're just sleeping with Melissa's ex-fiance, no strings attached?"

Leave it to Hanna to put it in the most unappealing way possible. "I guess."

Hanna snorted. "That's bullshit. I've seen the way he looks at you. I've seen the way you look at him. And you've both been looking at each other with the same exact lovesick expression since that night at the motel last year."

Lovesick. That wasn't something Spencer wanted to think about. She was fairly certain Wren wanted more out of them than she did. Or at least more than she said she did. But it wasn't an option she could consider. Especially now that A was back in the picture. She wasn't going to have another situation like she had with Toby. So she lied.

"I would hardly call it lovesick. We're just friends. Who help each other out sometimes."

"That's the worst description of sex I have ever heard. And for someone whose so smart, you can be such an idiot sometimes. Stop lying to yourself."

Hanna's blunt nature never failed to catch Spencer off guard.

"I'm not lying to myself. I'm just trying to make sure you understand what this is."

Wren always complained about Spencer rolling her eyes, but if he had to sit with Hanna for twenty minutes, she was sure he would never bring it up again. "You want me to understand? You don't understand. Haven't these past couple of years taught you anything?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

And just like that, Hanna was once again pissed off. "It means that Alison was murdered before she even got her driver's license. It means that we wasted a year of our lives trying to figure out who was stalking us and blackmailing us and trying to kill us. It means that Emily lost someone that she loved before they even had a chance. And it means that you need to suck it up and get over whatever weird Hastings family issues you've been carting around for all these years before something else happens and you and Wren really can't be together."

Spencer was shocked into silence. For someone who more often than not made inappropriate jokes and poorly timed comments, Hanna was all about the seriousness of what she thought. And if Hanna was serious, Spencer knew that things were worse than she had feared.

"I've been pushing him away." Or at least trying to, with poor attempts of dodging him.

For a moment, Hanna looked confused. Because Spencer had offered up a detail without having to be prompted? Because she was actually talking about Wren in a way that wasn't trying to hide something? Because, for the first time in forever, she was actually going to ask for Hanna's advice? Spencer wasn't sure what was going through Hanna's mind; she could barely figure out what had made her want to say that in the first place. It wasn't something she realized she was doing until the moment the words had left her mouth.

"Why?" Despite her newfound need to talk, Spencer wasn't ready to talk about A. She knew that it would be an unavoidable discussion at some point in the very near future, but not right then when Hanna was already having a hard time and Wren could walk in at any moment.

"I'm scared." At least that was completely true and the weakness in her voice matched her statement.

"Of what? Getting too attached to him?" Yes. "Do you think he'll change his mind about you or something?" No. That would shock Spencer more than just about anything, even though that made her sound conceited.

"I guess. And Melissa. And my parents." And A. But that would be saved for the next time Spencer talked to the blonde.

"Did you not listen to anything I just said?" Great. An even more irritated Hanna. And usually Spencer was the one who got rubbed the wrong way by the things Hanna said. "Forget about them. Just frickin tell Wren how you feel and get it over with. Then you guys can be together and stop sneaking around and we can all hang out. It's not like your parents can actually do anything."

"Besides kick me out. And last time I checked, your house has already had maximum capacity for house guests this year."

"Please. Like they would kick you out. And you know Aria would let you stay there."

"Because I want to get away from my family's drama just to get thrown in the middle of theirs." If anyone would understand about parental issues, it was Spencer. But she wasn't sure she could handle seeing Aria get upset over her parents fighting, especially if a big part of their issues were because of something Aria had done. God knows Spencer had spent countless hours hearing her own parents arguing relentlessly about what to do with her after one of her various screw-ups. It wasn't a nice thing to be subject or witness to and seeing Aria go through it would make her feel like she needed to do something to fix it.

Frustrated, Hanna shook her head. "Who cares? Why are you even thinking about this if you plan on not telling him. Stop trying to map everything out and just do something spontaneous for once."

Spencer was beginning to get a headache. "I'm pretty sure me going home with Wren in the first place was spontaneous. And you make it seem so simple but it's not. You don't know what it's like."

"I don't? Let me see. Boy meets girl. Girl liked boy. Something keeps them from being together. Someone's parents have a problem. They get together anyway. They kiss. Shit goes down. People don't freak out. Everyone's happy. The end. It might not always happen in that exact order but come on. You make things so much more complicated than they ever need to be."

Spencer stared hard at Hanna. "I have absolutely no idea what goes on inside your head."

"Stop trying to change the subject. Talking to you is like talking to a rock."

"Talking to a wall. You mean it's like talking to a wall."

That earned her another glare, even as Hanna ignored her and kept going with her tirade. "I know this is something you're going to have to agonize over for at least like ten years, but promise me one thing?"

Warily, Spencer nodded. "What?"

"Just think about it. If you think there's actually something there, you need to do something about it before it's too late. So promise me?"

Reluctantly, Spencer nodded again. "I'll think about it."

"Good." Hanna seemed satisfied to at least have Spencer agree to do something. "I'm going to go now."

"Wait, what? You're leaving?"

Hanna laughed. "I wasn't planning on staying long anyway. I just needed to get some things off my chest. I feel a better now." Even Hanna's tone of voice sounded better to Spencer. "Plus, I think you have previous engagements out by the pool. Don't forget to try and talk to Emily. And think about what I said."

So basically Hanna had just needed a nice bitch session with someone. Spencer frowned as she tried to remember the last time they had even been alone, just the two of them. She couldn't. So she agreed to Hanna's demands.

"I promise. And I'll let you know if I can get anything out of Em."

They both stood and on a whim, Spencer wrapped her arms arounds around the blonde girl. "I really am sorry for how I've been lately." She felt Hanna's body relax into hers and then felt the other girl hugging her back.

"I forgive you. Just don't let it happen again."

Spencer laughed. "I won't. You know I love you right?"

"Of course I do," scoffed Hanna. "How could you not?" Another typical Hanna-ism.

"I'll walk you to your car."

"Please. I know it's a horrible walk down your driveway but I think I can handle it on my own. Just go back out to the pool. You need to work on your tan anyway. You look like a vampire. Or Aria. Either way, you need some color. And eat a cheeseburger. I hate being in a bathing suit around you as is, and I swear you've gotten skinnier. I'll talk to you later?"

By then, her head was aching from the combination of their conversation and all of the insults Hanna had just managed to sneak into her goodbye. Spencer nodded.

"Of course. I'll call you tonight."

Hanna nodded back, looking satisfied and a little bit unsure as well. Suddenly, Spencer was struck by how vulnerable she looked in that moment. She really would have to make sure to keep checking in on her. As much as she wanted to deny it, there were scary similarities to the summer Alison went missing. But at least this time she would have the chance to change it.

After Hanna left, Spencer stayed seated at the counter, her mind going over everything that had happened that morning and the day before. Yesterday, right after texting Wren, her doorbell had rung. As soon as she'd opened the door and seen that no one was there, she knew what it meant.

_Sure enough, there was a large yellow envelope on her front step. Like all of the texts and emails weren't enough, A had to send them freaking packages too. She carried it back to the kitchen, throwing it on the counter and staring at it for the next ten minutes. She had a pretty good idea of what was going to be inside._

_It took her every second of those ten minutes to convince herself to open the envelope. Part of her wanted to just destroy it, throw it in a fire and forget it had ever landed on her doorstep. But she knew that whatever consequences she would get from doing that would be a hundred times worse then if she just opened the damn thing._

_So she did, practically ripping it apart to dump the contents out. Pictures. So many picture, of just what she expected. Her and Wren. At the playground. Against his car. Outside the airport. A couple obviously taken through the downstairs window of his house. All of them in various states of undress and obviously doing things they really shouldn't have been doing. There was even one of them kissing the night she had gotten drunk and gone home with him. A had been kind enough to make sure there was a time stamp on that one._

_It was weird to see the evidence of their relationship up until that point. Their images captured on film captivated her for a second. It was completely different to see the way they looked together rather that experience it._

_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a smaller white envelope on the counter that she hadn't noticed before. It had to have been inside with all the pictures. On the front was the name Byron Montgomery with Aria's address written underneath. There was even a stamp in the upper right hand corner. Her heart sank as she turned it over and saw that it was unsealed._

_More pictures. This time of Aria and Mr. Fitz. Like her and Wren, they were in a variety of positions that Mr. Montgomery probably wouldn't be too happy about if he saw them. It looked like her and Wren weren't the only ones who had been busy lately._

_It was clear what A wanted her to do. Whatever progress Aria had made with her dad about her relationship would be destroyed the moment he saw his daughter in those pictures. But what would happen if Spencer didn't do it? She was assuming the pictures of her and Wren would somehow end up in the hands of either Melissa or her parents. Or both. Commence World War III._

_Her eyes found the images of her and Wren again. Every single one of them showed her looking happy. Happier than she had even realized. That's when the anger had kicked in. All of the sudden, she was livid that it was happening again, that there was yet another person trying to make her life a living hell._

_Throwing the pictures into the envelope, she stormed up to her room and started to pace, periodically stopping to look out her window and bite her nails. The next thing she knew, the textbook for her morning class that had been laying on her desk was flying through the air and hitting the wall across the room from her. It fell onto the floor with a thud as she stared at it._

_Not long after that, Wren had come in and she'd managed to forget about the blackmail, for a little bit anyway. It had still remained in the back of her mind, even though Wren had yet to leave her alone. If he hadn't been there, she probably would have destroyed her room by then. Maybe even her entire house._

Spencer frowned. She couldn't keep thinking about it. If she knew A, and she liked to think she knew them very well, she knew that she had a little bit of time to make her decision. Not that she needed time to decide. Obviously, she couldn't do that to Aria. She just had to stop A from uncovering her secret. Like that would ever happen.

Shaking her head like she was trying to get rid of the memory, Spencer felt restless and slightly achy for some reason. She moved to the couch, laying down to stew in her situation for awhile longer. It would only be a couple more minutes she decided, and then she would wake up Wren and make him help her forget again.

Images of the afternoon and night ahead of her flashed through her mind. Wren pressing her up against the side of the pool, her bathing suit floating on top of the water as he… Ugh. It was time to wake him up right then. But before she could gather the energy to get up, she was asleep.

* * *

When Wren shook her awake what felt like years later, her throat felt like it was on fire and she found that she was in a particularly bad mood. She coughed, making it feel like her entire esophagus was being ripped apart and groaned. From next to, Wren asked "What's wrong?"

She rubbed her eyes, trying to make the ache she felt behind them go away as she took stock of how the rest of her felt. Her head was still pounding, even though naps almost always made that go away. There was an air of soreness about her body and her head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. And of course, she was congested. The first thing that crossed her mind was that A had somehow poisoned her.

"I'm dying," she moaned.

The look on Wren's face was incredulous. He placed his hand on her forehead and failed at hiding a smile. "You do feel a bit warm. Although I assure you you're not dying."

"It feels like it," she grumbled.

"It would appear that you've caught something."

"But I never get sick!" Suddenly, she lifted her head. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"You expect me to diagnose you just like that?"

"You are a doctor, aren't you?"

There was no answer as Wren got up and walked away. "Where are you going?" she called out, lifting her head only enough to see him go upstairs. "Seriously? You're not going to answer me?"

Still nothing. Her body flopped back onto the couch as she shifted, trying to find a comfortable position to lay in. She hadn't been lying when she had told Wren she never got sick. Even when she had about a million different things going on and didn't sleep, she still managed to stay healthy. That's probably why she wanted to act like a whiny child. Her eyes looked at the time on the microwave and she realized that it had been over two hours since Hanna had left. And she had been knocked out for that entire time.

From upstairs, she heard a door shut and then Wren was coming back down and sitting besides her. "Where did you go?"

Silently, he held up a thermometer. "Oh." He smiled, taking out of its contained and turning it on.

"Open your mouth."

As she did as she was told, she kept her eyes on his. There was a smirk on his face, one she knew he was trying to hide, and he looked…happy. Not that he was happy she was sick, but just happy in general. The realization that it was her causing that feeling stunned her. Maybe because for the first time, she was miserable even though they were together and it made her actually see the way he felt.

From her mouth, she heard the beeping of the thermometer. "How bad is it?"

Shooting her a look, he glanced at it and started to laugh. "It's 99.9." That was it? He couldn't have just rounded up to 100 so she could feel a little less like the bratty kid she was acting like?

"What else is wrong?" he questioned.

Spencer shrugged, suddenly feeling like she was making a big deal over nothing. "I don't know. I have a headache and my body is sore. And my throat hurts and I'm congested."

"Ah, I think I know what's wrong with you then."

Spencer perked up. "Is it the flu?" She didn't have time to have the flu, especially now that she had to figure out what to do with A on top of her classes.

"You have a cold."

"That's it?" Spencer was surprised that she could feel that dismal and only have a cold. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, leaning over to kiss her forehead before getting up again. "Where are you going this time?"

"I think I saw some cold medicine in the cabinet upstairs." As an afterthought, he muttered, "I should have just grabbed it while I was up there."

Letting her head fall back onto the couch, she groaned and swallowed. Immediately, she winced and wished she hadn't. Of course she would get sick in the summer.

Her mind began to wander and soon she found herself thinking about Toby. She was positive he would have waited on her hand and foot if they had still been together. She wondered what he was doing. Probably working like he usually did. She hoped he liked his new job and he was happy doing whatever he was doing. Even if he had left her after saying that he wouldn't, she would never be able to hold that against him. She had cared too much to do that.

Spencer was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice that Wren had come back downstairs until he was right next to her. She jumped, shooting him a little look but choosing not say anything.

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed. For the first time, Spencer noticed the obnoxious amount of stuff in his arms.

"What is all that?"

Wren looked a little embarrassed. "I figured if you were going to stay down here, you would want to be comfortable. So I brought your pillow and your blanket. Plus something else to wear since you probably want to get out of that. He gestured to her bathing suit, which she had forgotten she was wearing until then. "And here, take this." He held out his hand which had two pills in it and a bottle of water she hadn't realized he was carrying. "Are you hungry?"

Spencer shook her head wordlessly. Wren was taking care of her. Not only that, but he was taking good care of her. Better than her parents ever had. She took the clothes from him and stood slowly. Why did her body have to hurt so bad? "Spencer?"

Wren was staring at her as if he was waiting for something. "Yes?"

"Are you hungry?"

He had asked her that, hadn't he? After taking a second to think, she shook her head. "No."

"Have you eaten anything today? You said you weren't hungry when you woke up too."

Again, she shook her head. "I'm not."

Wren walked towards her, placing his hands on her bare hips and pulling her into him. Into her ear, he whispered, "I'm going to make you something anyway. You can't afford to miss meals."

Spencer rolled her eyes. Another comment about how skinny she was. Everybody was just so original, weren't they? Still, she didn't say anything as he made his way back to the kitchen and started opening cabinets. Taking a sip of water, she quickly swallowed the pills Wren had given her and moved on to getting changed. Moving at a glacial pace, she only hesitated a second before untying her bikini top and letting it fall to the ground. Holding up the shirt he had given her, she managed a smile when she realized it was one of his. Where he had managed to find clothes of his, she had no idea but she wasn't going to complain.

"Why did it come on so sudden?"

She yanked the shirt over her head swiftly while waiting for his answer, stepping out of her bottoms and slipping on the pair of shorts he had brought instead.

"It's just like that sometimes. It depends on how fast the virus moves. Did you feel off this morning?"

Looking back on her day so far, she realized that she had. "I guess. I thought it was allergies."

"A lot of people think the same thing."

Spencer flopped back onto the couch, watching Wren from her position. There was a pot on the stove and a can of soup next to it. At least he knew the proper sick meal etiquette to follow. She probably would have been a little lost if she had been by herself. The sight of him moving around the kitchen, intent on caring for her even though there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her made her smile.

Sighing, she leaned back and closed her eyes. The afternoon wasn't going to be what she had envisioned, but it would still be good.

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**Reviews are very much appreciated! And extra thanks goes to June Sujare who helped me embellish on some part of this chapter that weren't the way they needed to be. **


	13. The Secret

**A/N: Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers. I honestly love seeing what you have to say after each new chapter and would never have gotten this far without you guys. A special thanks goes out to June Sujare like usual. This chapter took me longer than normal to write, although I think it was mainly due to the fact that I was on vacation and couldn't find more than 5 minutes at a time to be by myself. Hopefully you all enjoy it!**

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Wren glanced over at Spencer, whose head was turned towards the back of the couch as she breathed heavily. It had only taken a little over an hour for her to feel completely fine once she had taken the medicine but they had still stayed inside for the rest of the day, watching bad daytime TV and making fun of soap operas. It had almost seemed like they were a normal couple spending a normal day together.

The way she had acted like catching a cold was the end of the world was endearing to him. Her initial comment saying she was dying was just so utterly her that it had made him laugh, as had her assumption that she had the flu. If there had actually been something more serious wrong with her, he couldn't imagine what she would have been like. Probably planning her own funeral and writing her own obituary.

In her sleep, she coughed, rolling over a little more so she was on her side and her head was buried against the couch. Wren sighed, wishing that he could wake her up, but knowing that she needed sleep. The night before, she had been tossing and turning, and it seemed to him that every time she moved, he would stir too and know that she was still awake.

Something was obviously bothering her. His mind wandered to the envelope he had seen her with the day before, the way she had made sure it was completely put away before she paid any attention to him. If he had to guess, he would say that whatever had upset her had come via that package. He only wished she would have just told him instead of acting like nothing was going on.

He looked over his shoulder at the stairs and then back down at Spencer. It seemed like she was passed out pretty deeply. But could he do it? Could he snoop and see for himself what was bothering her? Her myriad of trust issues made him think no, there was no way he could do something like that to her. If she found out, she would never forgive him. Or trust him again. Of that he was sure.

An image of her face when he had walked into her room and scared her the day before crossed his mind. In that second, she had been fearful. Not just surprised because she hadn't been expecting him, but really and truly scared, almost terrified. That in itself was enough to chance breaking her trust. Wasn't it?

Moving slowly, he picked her feet up from his lap and moved out from under them, letting them settle gently where he had been sitting. Just as quietly, he crept up the stairs, the whole time looking back at Spencer to make sure she hadn't woken up. Even if she did, he was screwed since he couldn't think of an excuse to give her.

At the top of the stairs, he went down the hallway, pushing open her bedroom door and surveying the room. It looked exactly as it had that morning, a little messy with the bed unmade and clothes littering the floor. Very unlike the way Spencer normally kept it. Hesitantly, he made his way towards the bedside table, sitting on the bed and staring at the drawer.

It was still in there, he was fairly certain, unless she had moved it when she was in here alone. But that had only been for about five minutes the day before when he had still been in the shower. He stayed still for a second, trying to talk himself out of what he was about to do. While he couldn't be positive about exactly what Spencer's reaction would be if she caught him, he was sure that she wouldn't be happy. More than likely, it would be end of anything they had between them.

But if something had Spencer just as torn up as she had been when Mona Vanderwaal had stalked her and her friends, he couldn't just sit by and let it happen. Before he could talk himself out of it, he yanked open the drawer. Sure enough, there was the yellow envelope right on top, looking misleadingly trivial. There was nothing written on the front, no return address or name. Nothing. He flipped it over, seeing if there might be something on the other side.

There wasn't, but it had been ripped up in different places. It was a wonder that whatever it was holding hadn't fallen out with the way it was torn up. Had she been in such a hurry to see what it contained that she hadn't been able to find a letter opener to use? It would have saved her a sloppy mess. He pulled up the flap at the the top and slipped his hand inside, pulling the first thing his fingers met out.

Pictures. An entire pile of them. All of him and Spencer together. His stomach turned and in that moment he realized that things were more serious that he had ever thought. How had someone even been close enough to take them? There were a couple taken from right outside his bloody windows. Had Spencer known they were being taken? No. Absolutely not. There was no way she could have known. It was sick.

When it became too much for him to keep looking at them, he stuck his hand back inside, searching to see if he had missed anything. There, at the bottom, there was something else. A smaller, white envelope, addressed to someone named Byron Montgomery, whoever that was. And inside of that envelope were even more pictures, this time of Spencer's friend Aria, the same one who had been standing not ten feet from where he was currently sitting, with a man Wren didn't recognize.

That set of pictures was almost identical to his and Spencer's. The two of them, always with articles of clothes missing and in the middle of a heated moment, completely unaware that anyone was watching them. Wren's eyes only glanced over those. It felt too disturbing to look at pictures of other people having sex, especially when he knew one of them. Well, sort of knew. It made him feel perverted thinking that Aria had been standing so close to him just the day before, wide-eyed and innocent-looking. Quickly sticking them back where he had found them, he turned his attention back to the images of Spencer and him.

Every single one of them he remembered. He remembered the things they had said, the things they had bantered about, the way Spencer's voice had sounded, the noises she made that he had been so sure he was the only person to ever hear. Had this person heard it all? It would appear so. How had they never noticed?

Slowly, he slipped the pictures back inside one by one, taking them all in one last time. The pictures would have been hot under other circumstances. But not that way. Now he was going to have to confront Spencer, ask her what was going on, if she even knew. Would she freak because he had been nosey and snooped in her stuff? Would she just just admit to everything and finally clue him in as to what was going on? Would she try to deny it? Most likely, it would be some sort of combination of the three. But at least that would be better than not knowing anything at all, though.

After all the pictures had been put away, he sat on her bed a while longer, wondering what Spencer had managed to get herself into this time. For someone with such a need to be perfect, it seemed like she ended up in a fair amount of messes. And the fallout of those problems was never pretty. Her life was a bit scandalous, even if it wasn't actually her fault. Trouble just seemed to find her.

From downstairs, he heard a dull thudding start, a quick succession of four short bangs. It took him a minute to figure out what it meant. Someone was knocking at the door. Instantly, he was moving, shoving the pictures back into the drawer and making sure everything looked just as it had when he came into the room. Then he going back down the stairs to see who was there.

Surprisingly, Spencer was still asleep on the couch, oblivious to the noise. The cold medicine had knocked her out hours ago. For a second, Wren hesitated. Would she want him to answer the door if she couldn't get it? Probably not. But it was worth it to at least go and see who it was. Both his car and Spencer's were in the driveway so the person had to know someone was inside.

What he saw through the peephole caught him offguard. There was Aria, thankfully clothed unlike the pictures of her upstairs, standing on Spencer's front porch. The look on her face was serious, and Wren could tell she hadn't come over just to hang out or do whatever else teenage girls spent their time doing.

He gripped the knob tightly, throwing the door open quickly so he wouldn't chicken out. Aria at least had the decency to look like she was surprised that he was the one standing there.

"Hello," he said in what he hoped was a warm tone. He couldn't really tell anymore since his mind was so preoccupied with wondering whether or not Spencer would care about him talking to her friends.

"Hi," came Aria's cautious reply. "Um... Is Spencer here?"

With a glance over his shoulder, Wren smiled apologetically. "She is. But she was feeling a bit peaky this morning so she's sleeping right now." He prayed that Aria wouldn't want him to wake her up. He knew she needed all the rest she could get if she was going to shake the cold.

Wren could read the disappointment on Aria's face. 'Oh," she said, a bit glum. "Then can you tell her I stopped by?"

"Of course." Wren waited for Aria to leave; she had even turned halfway towards the driveway before glancing back at him.

"Is there something else?" he prompted when he saw the look of barely masked curiosity on her face.

"What are you doing?" The question came out slightly breathless and Wren was suddenly taken aback by the girl standing in front of him. Sure, she was tiny and wide-eyed and reminded him a little bit of a kitten, but there was a clear ferociousness behind her words that made him second guess his first impression.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Playing dumb hadn't been the right way to go about answering her question. Instead of trying to clarify for him, she just stared up at him, making him feel nervous and awkward and more than a little out of place. And more than all that, he had absolutely no idea how to begin answering her.

"I think you know what I mean." Aria spoke slowly and surely, somehow managing to keep her voice soft while at the same time enunciating every word. And she was right. He knew exactly what she meant.

"This isn't...It's not what it looks like."

Aria's eyebrows shot up with a look of disbelief. "Than what is it?"

Wren managed to maintain eye contact with the Aria for a little bit, but eventually had to look away. For the first time, he looked down and noticed her feet. Who wore boots in the middle of summer? Not only boots, but boots with a dress. Americans. Teenage girls. American teenage were impossible to understand. He shook his head. Why was he letting himself get distracted by her footwear instead on concentrating on her question? Whatever Aria's issue was, he was going to guess it had less to do with the unconventional aspects of his and Spencer's relationship and more to do with the motivation behind it.

Remaining silent, he scrambled to figure out something to say to her that wouldn't make him sound perverted. But nothing he could think of seemed appropriate. Finally, he blurted out the next thing to cross his mind.

"I can't stay away from her. I just cant."

If Aria had looked surprised before, it was nothing compared to her face once he had said that. Great. His statement would only lead to more questions, some of which he was sure he wouldn't want to answer. What would Spencer think of him talking to her best friend about them? Why was he stuck on what Spencer would think about the conversation he was having?

"What does that even mean?" Aria finally answered slowly.

What did it mean? "It means…I tried. I tried for months to keep to myself and not bother her. But each time, something would happen and we would get thrown together. It took me awhile to realize that maybe that's where we belonged. So I stopped trying to stay away from her and the more I saw her, the more I needed to see her again. I couldn't stay away from her."

Even to his own ears, his words sounded like a declaration of sorts. Of love, of lust, of infatuation. Of something that had even managed to shake the steely look from Aria's blank face. Now, she merely looked contemplative.

"So how did that lead to," Aria's eyes darted to behind him, obviously meaning the fact that Spencer was asleep not far from the both of them. "This?" The final word in her question rang out between them. How had that led to the way things were turning out? Surely, only by a miracle.

Again, Wren had no answer. Changing the subject, he said, "If it's the age part of this that disagrees with you, I can assure you that I didn't take it lightly. I still don't." That wasn't exactly true. They had never actually discussed the gap in years between them. They had simply ignored it in favor of talking about their bigger obstacle at the time. Melissa.

Aria smiled and Wren felt like he was intruding on some sort of joke he had never heard. "Believe me, I could care less about how old you are." Laughing, Aria's face changed. No longer did she look so suspicious or distrusting. Something he had said had thawed her attitude.

"Then can I ask you what it is that you're trying to get at here?" A direct approach might prove more effective.

The humor vanished from Aria's face as her mouth opened. Still, no sound came out and she looked away. Something reminded him of Spencer in that moment. The way she looked so unsure about what to say. The way her hand came up to push at her hair nervously. The way she shook her head briefly and turned back to him, her previous steely look returning.

"She's been through a lot."

"I know that." Wren's heart was pounding. It was odd that a seventeen-year-old girl had the ability to put him in such a state. Any seventeen-year-old girl besides Spencer anyway.

"She doesn't need anything else to make her life more complicated."

"I know." Did it sound like he was repeating himself to her?

"Do you?" There was that wide-eyed, deceivingly innocent expression. And right behind that was the barely masked protectiveness that only a girl who was worried about her friend could achieve.

Was she asking if he knew what had happened to Spencer? Melissa had told him. Not every gory detail but he had a clear understanding of the harassment Spencer and her friends had been through. Still, he was sure there were things he didn't know, things that Melissa hadn't known, things no one but the four girls were privy to. Whatever those things were, they had to be more horrible than he could even imagine.

Aria waited, looking up at him expectantly. She really was a tiny person. "I can't begin to imagine what it was like for you to have such horrendous things happen to you, especially when you weren't able to talk to anyone about them." Delving into her private life probably wasn't the way for him to gain favor with Aria. "But I promise you that I would never do anything to harm her. Quite the opposite actually."

Her head nodded and she looked away again. Was it just a coincidence that both her and Spencer got that cagey, nervous, I-know-something-you-don't look about them? Even Aria's eyes darting back and forth reminded him of the sleeping girl inside.

"What gives you reason to believe I would want to harm Spencer?"

Aria stopped, or froze was more like it. Was there something she knew that he didn't? If she did, it couldn't be true. The only thing Wren had ever wanted to do was protect Spencer.

"No, no. Of course not. I just…worry about her. We all worry about each other. We have since…" There was no need to ask her what she was talking about. "There was a time when it seemed like everyone wanted to hurt us."

"Completely understandable." An all too familiar crease formed between Aria's eyebrows. It looked exactly like the ones he had smoothed from Spencer's skin countless times. "How are you holding up? If you don't mind me asking."

There was a moment of hesitation and Wren was positive that Aria hadn't been expecting him to inquire about anything having to do with her. "I'm fine." She was also instantly guarded, walls slamming up around her and a definite sense of secrecy appearing. Did she know about the pictures Spencer had upstairs?

"Can you just tell Spencer I stopped by? I called first but she didn't pick up. Once again." The last part was muttered under Aria's breath.

It seemed like diverting the conversation to her had made her anxious to leave. Not that he was going to try and stop her. There had already been too much awkwardness between them. "Of course. Definitely. When she wakes up."

Aria's head bobbed, her mind obviously already moving onto other things. "Thank you," she murmured. "I'll see you." Later? Around? When would she see him? And where? Would Spencer ever get to the point where she was comfortable having him be around her friends?

Even after she had gotten back in her car and driven away, Wren stayed at the doorway. He was in the place where there was an odd mixture between the summer heat and the cool feel of air conditioned air from inside. Should he question her? Ask her why she had those pictures. Ask her who else had seen them.

She would lie. She would lie and not even realize that he knew she was lying. That he knew what she was keeping from him. At least part of it anyway. It killed him to know that she would keep something from him even after how close they had grown in the past months. Could it be that she actually didn't trust him? From the way she had been so open with him about everything else up until that point, he wanted to say that she did. Not absolutely though. If her faith in him was complete, she would have brought the photos to him the second she received them. But she hadn't.

"Wren?" At the sound of his name, he glanced back over his shoulder, only to turn back to the outside world. He wasn't quite ready to see her or confront her yet. He wasn't sure he ever would be. "Wren?" Her voice was closer the second time. How she had known he was at the door and not upstairs or by the pool was beyond him.

"Here," he called, noting that his voice sounds rough even to his own ears. Clearing his throat, he said it again. "I'm here."

He felt more than heard her come up behind him. As he turned to look at her, the faint anger he had been starting to feel both before and after Aria's visit began to fade. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes had that glassy, sleepy look in them. Her hair was messed up on one side of her head, mussed against the side of her face and tangled relentlessly over her shoulder.

"Feel better?"

Spencer didn't answer his question. "What are you doing out here?" Her gaze traveled outside, most likely looking to see if there was a car parked outside.

"Your friend, the one with the dark hair was here." Would she think it was weird if he had called Aria by her name? Would she think it was weird that Wren had seen the naked pictures of her? Like that was even a question. Weird was an understatement.

Seeing the way Spencer snapped out of her sleep-induced haze made Wren glad that he hadn't said her name. "She was?"

Wren nodded, but didn't give any more details. "What did she want?"

What had she wanted exactly? The conversation they had had barely gave him any idea.

"I'm not sure. She wanted me to tell you she stopped by though."

Spencer nodded, the expression on her face becoming blank again as she avoided making eye contact. At least, he assumed she was avoiding looking at him.

"How do you feel?" When had he decided to avoid the subject he really wanted to talk about? Probably when he had noticed that Spencer didn't look like she felt any better at all. She shrugged. That was enough of an answer for him.

"Come on. It's about time you got some more medicine in you. And something to eat."

Taking her by the hand, he led her back to the kitchen, gesturing for her to sit at the counter while he got things ready. Instead, she stood there, swaying slightly with her hand resting on the surface and her eyes closed.

"You alright?" Spencer nodded again, but didn't look at him. "Take these." He placed two pills in front of her and watched as she opened her eyes slowly and picked them up. His eyes lingered on her face as she threw them to the back of her mouth and drank them down with a sip of water from the glass he had handed her, wincing as she swallowed.

"So I take it you feel the same as you did before?"

"Worse." Had her voice been so hoarse when she had spoken by the door? He didn't think so.

"Are you hungry?"

Spencer shook her head. "Are you sure?" She nodded. Someone was in her own world at the moment. "Come here." Pulling on her hand, she stepped into his arms, letting him wrap himself until he was satisfied that they were close enough.

Against his, her body was slightly rigid, tense, although for once he only knew part of the reason behind it. "Ughh. I feel horrible." Spencer was losing her voice and Wren tried to ignore how hot he found it.

"I know." That seemed to be the only thing he could say that day. "Can I do anything?"

Feeling her shake her head against his chest, he gripped her tighter. "Sure?"

Spencer paused, for the first time hugging him back just as tightly as he was holding her and staying still against him. Was there actually something she was going to ask him to help her with?

"Can you…" Her words cam out mumbled since she was pressed to closely to his chest. "I'm so tired but I couldn't fall back asleep. My head is pounding." Was that why she had come looking for him?

"It's the medicine making you drowsy. Now that you took more, you should be able to sleep soon."

"I know," she whispered. "But…"

"But what?"

"I'm so tired now." Her voice did sound exhausted. "Can you…?" Her hips rocked into his. That's what she wanted? He had never been with a girl that wanted sex when she was sick.

"I don't want to… I just need you to…" So she basically wanted him to get her off so she could fall asleep faster. "Please?" Of course he would. It wasn't even a question. But in the back of his mind lingered the fact that Spencer knew how to keep secrets and that she had begun keeping secrets from him. How much longer could he go on knowing that she wasn't being honest?

His hands settled on her waist, pushing her backwards and then lifting her up onto the countertop so that she was seated in front of him. Before he was going to do anything, however, he was going to kiss her. Leaning in, he moved closer until their faces were only separated by a small space.

"Don't," she whispered, turning her head before he could press his lips to hers. "I don't want you to get sick." Like he cared about her germs right then.

If she wouldn't let him kiss her mouth, he was going to take the opportunity to lavish the rest of her with hot, open mouthed kisses. Starting from the spot right behind her ear that made her breathing speed up almost immediately.

It was going to be fast. Very fast if he knew anything from the way her legs were already tightening around him, the way her eyes were hooded and intense and staring right at him, right into him, like there's nothing else in the world that could ever capture her interest as completely as he did. She was going to be fast.

Something had shifted between them since the time she fell asleep and the moment they were in. Neither of them said a word, they only stared at each other as Wren's fingers wasted no time in slipping beneath the waistband of her shorts and finding their destination. He had forgotten that she wasn't wearing anything underneath of them until right then.

Stepping closer, he pressed his body between her legs, forcing her to open them wider. His other arm had slipped around her back, pulling her closer to the edge until she was leaning back against the cabinets and his body was the only thing keeping her from slipping off the edge.

His fingers inside of her moved furiously, pushing and pressing harder than normal. "Fuck," she strangled out with her low voice, her hips rising to meet his hand and her body twisting on the hard granite. That was new. Usually she kept her comments limited to either playful or begging. Sometimes both at the same time. Never obscenities.

He loved that she was so easy to please, that he knew exactly what he had to do to make her feel that way. It was something he couldn't get over, the way she completely surrendered herself to him. Before they had started sleeping together, he might have guessed that she would be controlling in bed but he had been wrong. The way she had turned out to be was perfect, exactly the right mixture of letting him do what he wanted but not making him do all the work.

For someone who had been feeling so poorly, she got right to where he had wanted her in what seemed like record time. Before she came, she pushed away from the cabinets, burying her face in his neck and digging her nails into the skin of his lower back. He hadn't even noticed her hands go under his shirt.

With her fast breath in his ear and soft skin brushing against his, Wren felt a flare of possessiveness shoot through him. If something was happening to Spencer, something bad enough to make her scared like she had been before, he had to do something. He had to help her. He had to.

"Wren." The way his name tumbled out of her lips brought him back to what he was doing. In his mental wanderings, he had continued to move his fingers inside of her, forceful to the point that she had released against him before he knew what was happening. Her hand nudged his and for the first time he noticed that the fingers that weren't currently occupied inside of her were digging into her upper thigh. Maybe he was getting a little frustrated by the situation. And maybe a little was an understatement.

"Sorry," he whispered, his nose tracing a line up the side of her neck to that same spot right behind her ear.

"It's fine." Of course it was. With Spencer, everything was fine, even when it wasn't. That had to be the most common phrase that crossed her mouth. Probably the most common lie to be said by girls everywhere. In the meantime, Wren's grip had loosened considerably, though he was still keeping his hold on her.

"I'm tired." He knew she was tired. Wasn't that the entire reason for what had just happened between them? "Can we go lay down now?" Spencer pulled herself away from Wren's neck, looking at him imploringly, until he knew he had no choice but to say yes to her request.

"Come on."

Once again, his hands found her waist and he brought her down off of the counter so that they were standing against one another. In her kitchen. Her family ate there. He had been with Melissa for enough time to realize that the majority of their time, the Hastings ate standing at their counters before rushing out the door. But Melissa never would have let him touch her anywhere besides the barn when they were together there.

Tugging on her wrist, they moved back to the couch. "Can you lie down with me?" There wasn't even a point in her asking him anymore. He would do anything she told him. Nodding, he gestured towards the couch for her to lie down.

"Can you be on the inside?" Eyeing the room on the couch, he hesitated. It was going to be a tight fit with both her and him on that small surface. But instead of protesting, he just did as she asked and pushed his body as far back into the cushions as he could. As soon as he had settled, she mimicked his actions, pressing her body to his until she was almost on top of him and nuzzling his head into his chest. "Thank you."

Almost instantly, her breathing evened out. But sleep wasn't going to come as easily for him. There was too much on his mind. There were too many things he needed to go over before he knew how to move on.

One thing he knew better than almost anything else was that he would never be the one to put a stop to things between them. Never. He wouldn't, but he had developed a constant nagging in the back of his mind that she would leave him. Not that it would technically be considered her leaving him. They weren't really together. That was the next thing he needed to figure out.

They weren't together, but he wanted them to be. And not just in the sleeping together way. He wanted them to be together in a way that would allow them to go on dates, be seen in public, have their friends and families know what was going on. Could he manage to convince her that it was possible?

Even if they were together, there was still the manner of the pictures that were upstairs in her bedside table. The images were haunting him. Not that they had happened, but that someone had captured the moments on film, and he could be almost certain that they would never be erased. Who knew how many other copies there were in someone else's possession.

Hopefully, she would tell him. Maybe there would even be a logical explanation for them. There was the optimist in him making an appearance. Not at a good time either. If he knew Spencer, she would never admit to the fact that she was in trouble. She hadn't the last time either. Was there something similar going on? Was it something else completely?

Spencer coughed against him, her body spasming for a second and then calming back down. She had a nasty cold and she was horrible at dealing with illness, apparently. At least it was cute to watch her react so differently than he would have expected.

And then there was the matter of her friends. They were making a sudden appearance back into Spencer's life. He had gotten so used to her being with him at all times that he had almost forgotten that they existed. At least until they had shown up in her room unexpectedly, at what was probably one of the worst possible times for them to be there. The only thing that could have been worse was if they had actually walked in on them in the middle of having sex.

Earlier, he had heard Spencer and Hanna talking outside, something definitely sounding off between them. If there was one thing he had learned while living with his sister, it was the ways of friendship between teenage girls. Things weren't good between the two of them. But maybe they had worked it out after they had gone inside and he had fallen back to sleep.

Aria hadn't looked too pleased to be there either when she had shown up. If he had to guess, he would say that she had looked down right annoyed to see him in the doorway instead of Spencer. Probably irritated that once again, Spencer wasn't answering any of their means of communication herself. He had noticed her tendency to ignore their calls and never answer their text messages in the time since they had gotten together. But he had also figured she got back to them in the few times they weren't together.

It was a pretty common symptom of trauma, the isolation from anyone who reminded her of the events that had left her scarred. And that's what she was. Scarred. Damaged. She would never be the same as she had been before. Not that she needed to be. Her family had been messing with her head since the moment she was born anyway. And the adaptive way her personality had fit itself around the things going on around her was admirable. She had managed to maintain a generous and caring attitude, even though the things that had happened to her should have left her jaded and bitter.

Coughing again, she wiggled restlessly against him for a moment before settling. Even miserable and sick, he still found her stunning. He would never spend another second without her if he had a choice.

"Spencer?" He had hoped that by some chance she had awoken from her sleep. But instead, her even breaths made him see that she was still out, completely and totally, and probably would be for the next couple of hours at least. Damn drowsy medicine.

The first thing he wanted to do when she woke up was make her talk, even if it was only about one of the things that was currently plaguing his thoughts. Either they would talk about those pictures upstairs, the issues between her and her friends, or they would define their relationship in a more concrete way than just two people sleeping together. Just like his sister had tried to make him see, they were most definitely more than that, especially if he had anything to say about it.

For the time being, however, he was going to have to content himself with the fact that Spencer was asleep and trying to shake off a cold of slight severity. It probably would be for at least another day or two until she was willing to have a serious discussion about anything. In the meantime, he would continue to wait on her, because that was the kind of person he was. No matter how sexy he found her extra raspy voice, he wanted her to get better and back to her normal self so that they could figure things out. Things were going to change; he would make sure of it.

Spencer's cheeks were still a little bit rosy, a change from her normal pale complexion. She was also breathing through her mouth, something that was pretty rare for her. He would know after all of the time he had spent watching her sleep. Not that he was trying to be creepy or anything.

"Stop staring at me," Spencer mumbled, making Wren jump. He hadn't even noticed her wake up. So maybe he was being slightly creepy.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"You're right. I am." He moved his hand and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you staring at me?" Wren didn't answer. It wasn't like he could just tell her that he had spied on her and then decided that everything about their current relationship status needed to change.

"Just wondering if you needed anything."

"Mhm." Even though she hadn't actually said anything, Wren picked up on the disbelief in her voice.

"And the truth?"

Wren hesitated again. "Just thinking about us."

Spencer peeked over at him with one eye. "What about us?"

Smiling, he brushed his hand over her eyes, causing her to shut them again. "Don't worry about it right now. Just get some rest."

If Spencer had been feeling like her normal self, she would never have accepted that answer. She would have been up and off the couch faster than he could have blinked, demanding an explanation. But she was sick so she just sighed and burrowed her head into his chest. "Okay," she whispered.

And just like that, she was back asleep. Wren moved closer and placed his head next to hers, closing his eyes in the process. The next couple days would prove to be interesting.

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**A/N: So I know exactly how the rest of this story is going to go and I even have parts of the next 4 chapters written already. In all, there will probably be about 6 or 7 seven more. Make sure to review so I know what parts you do or don't like and what else you would like to see. Thank you!**


	14. The Try Pt 1

**A/N: This turned out to be such a long chapter so I decided to split in half. Part two will be up in the next day or so. **

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Spencer had forgotten to call Aria back. She hadn't realized until she heard her phone beep. When she'd gotten the chance to look at it, the message that popped up on the screen said **Meet us at The Grille at 12. **Nothing wondering how she was, no questions about her plans that day, nothing asking her if she wanted to hang out. Just an instruction and a time, something Aria only resorted to when she was pissed and thought it was the only way she could get Spencer to agree to something

It wasn't even really her fault. She'd been sick and had been more than willing to let Wren take care of her, even letting herself milk it a little bit. True, the first day had been abysmal. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt that horrible. But after that it hadn't been so bad. Closer to allergies than a sickness. Not that she had told Wren that. It had been too much fun having him play nurse for her. Okay, so maybe it was her fault that she had never gotten back to Aria.

When she got to The Grille, Hanna and Aria were already seated at a table but oddly enough, they weren't talking to one another. They weren't even looking at each other. Instead, Hanna was watching the screen of her phone, obviously bored, and Aria was staring at the wall directly in front of her.

Opening the door, Spencer took a deep breath and steeled herself to go inside. She was going to have to do a lot of talking to get herself out of the doghouse with those two. Especially after Hanna had just ranted to her about her lack of availability. But it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later. At least that's what she was telling herself.

"Hey guys," she said, pulling out a chair at the end of the table and sitting down next to Hanna. The blond would probably be the kinder of the two after their talk a couple of days ago.

"Hey!" Hanna answered, sounding falsely cheerful. Aria added a much simpler, "Hi," before pressing a button to light up her phone. Probably to see what time it was and check if Spencer was on time. Of course she was, right down to the exact minute.

"So what's going on?" Spencer asked the question tentatively, nervous about the response she was going to get. Aria had the tendency to freeze people out when they hurt her. It wouldn't surprise her if the shorter girl gave her one word answers until the end of senior year after the way she had treated her that summer. She would have almost preferred Hanna's snarky comments and bitchy digs. Almost. They did have the tendency to remind her of Alison at times so in the end, she would take Aria's iciness over Hanna's attitude.

After she had asked her question, Aria and Hanna exchanged looks, obviously deciding who was going to be the one to break whatever news they had to Spencer. There was a moment of silent deliberation and then they both looked at her, Hanna opening her mouth to talk. "Have you…"

Peeking back at Aria, Hanna stopped. "Have I what?" Here she had thought that they called her there to chastise her for being a shitty friend. An intervention of sorts. But apparently, things were a lot more serious that she had anticipated. Were they talking about what she thought they were talking about?

"I'm getting them again," Aria blurted out, the trepidation and fear evident on her face. Had her face looked like that since Spencer had walked in? She wasn't sure how she had missed it.

The first thing Spencer felt when she heard the words come out of Aria's mouth was relief. Relief that it wasn't just her. Relief that she wouldn't have to figure it out alone. Relief that they were all in it together. Again.

Then came the panic. How could they possibly be getting them again? Mona was in some place called Radley Sanatorium, locked up so tight she wouldn't have access to a phone for a very long time. So it had to be someone else. And the truth was, having one person crazy enough to stalk you and blackmail you with every secret you had ever held was horrifying, but having two people do it was unbelievable.

After panic, the next thing to set in was the numbness. It was almost exactly like it had been after Toby left and before Wren came. Almost like she was she becoming one of those girls who was only happy when she had a boyfriend? Wrong. Not boyfriend. Not yet anyway. But that wasn't the point. The unfeeling attitude was the only way she could think about A and not go crazy. If the stalking continued and she wasn't able to turn on her apathy at will, she would probably end up in her very own padded cell right next to Mona's.

The other two girls were still waiting on her response. "Me too." Right then, Spencer saw exactly what she was feeling flicker across Aria's face. An unwanted sense of relief, fear, confusion, panic. The deep question of how that could be happening, again, after they had all thought it was over. "You?" Spencer glanced at Hanna, who slowly shook her head.

"No, no. Not yet anyway."

No yet. It would happen. If it was happening to Aria and Spencer, it was only a matter of time before they started to go after Hanna. Emily too.

"Do you think Em…?" Hanna's question was whispered, her worry from their earlier conversation echoed in her voice. But Spencer had no idea how to answer that question. She hadn't even remembered to call Emily like she had promised Hanna she would. When had she become such a horrible friend?

"I don't know," Spencer said quietly. "I hope not."

Aria frowned. "Maybe A will leave her alone. For awhile anyway. She is the one whose lost the most."

Spencer nodded, praying that Aria was right. She would rather Emily be left alone, if only because she was the one who still had the most healing to do.

"What's A been sending you?" she asked Aria. "Pictures?"

Aria gave her a look. "No? Just texts. Mostly about me and Ezra. A couple about my parents and how much they've been fighting lately. You got pictures from A?"

Spencer hesitated, unsure about whether or not she wanted to tell them everything now that she knew she was being targeted more than the others.

"I did," she finally said, waiting for the inquisition to begin.

"Of what?" hissed Aria, leaning in closer.

"Yeah. What does A have on you?" added Hanna.

Spencer just looked at her. "Really?"

Right away, a look of comprehension dawned on Hanna's face. "Oh. Right. Wren."

"Yeah. Wren." Spencer began to play with the bracelets hanging on her wrists, beginning to feel awkward. She hoped that she could get over her issues with talking about Wren around other people soon. There was no reason that it had to be so weird when his name came up.

"What are the pictures of?"

The pictures. The entire reason they were even sitting there together apparently. It seemed like once again, A was going to bring them back together, even if they hadn't drifted away from each other quite as bad as the summer Alison disappeared.

"Some of them are of me and Wren."

"You and Wren? Like…"

Spencer nodded, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. They had already come dangerously close to walking in on a scene from one of the pictures.

"Like while you were actually…?"

"Yes, Hanna!" Spencer cut her off, already able to see the faux scandalized look Hanna would have on her face without actually looking up.

"What about the other pictures?"

"What?" Spencer wished she had never mentioned that only some of the pictures were of her and Wren. She also wished Aria wasn't so attentive when she was listening to other people talk. Now she was going to have to admit that she had seen Aria and Mr. Fitz doing things she never wanted or needed to see them doing.

"You said some were you and Wren. What are the other ones of?"

"They're of…" Horrible, horrible images burned into her brain. Spencer had never in a million years wanted to see that much of Aria. Ever. And even though she had been all about how hot Mr. Fitz was at the beginning of junior year, it was surely against girl code to have seen your best friend's boyfriend naked.

"Of what, Spencer?" Hanna was quickly becoming impatient. From the look on Aria's face, she wasn't the only one.

"They're of you and Fitz." From the corner of her eye, she peeked over at Aria, whose mouth had dropped open as soon as she hard Spencer.

"Me and Ezra?" Aria finally blinked and looked away. "Oh my god. Are they like the pictures of you and Wren?"

The only response Spencer gave to Aria was a quick nod.

"But why did A send them to you?"

Once again, A wanted to pit them against one another. "I think that I'm supposed to… I got a big envelope with the pictures of me and Wren but there was a smaller envelope in there too. Your pictures were in that one. And it was addressed to your dad."

"My dad?" There was sheer panic on Aria's face. "My dad," she whispered, staring down at the table and probably imagining the horrible fallout of what A wanted.

Hanna leaned forward and shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's not like you didn't already tell your parents about you guys anyway."

"Are you serious, Hanna?" Aria exclaimed.

"What?" the blond answered, a defensive tone in her voice. "You did."

"Yeah, but…" Aria mimicked Hanna's movement, shaking her head and beginning to look extremely irritated, not to mention scared. "I told them we had never slept together. I promised."

Hanna scoffed. "Well we all know what happens when we lie. Plus, it's not like Spencer's actually going to send it. Right, Spence?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't do that. Do you really think I would do something like that?" She directed her question to Aria.

"No. But even if you don't, I'm sure A is going to figure out some other way to clue my dad in."

Aria was right. A would have a backup plan to get the pictures to her dad. "I can't believe this is happening again," Spencer whispered, her eyes flickering back and forth between Hanna and Aria. Neither of them answered which only made Spencer realize how they were all thinking the same thing.

"But why hasn't A gone after Hanna?"

"Yet," the blond interrupted. "Why hasn't A gone after me yet. And isn't it obvious?"

When neither Spencer or Aria answered, Hanna rolled her eyes. "For once, I'm not hiding anything. No secret boyfriend. My mom knows Caleb and I are sleeping together. No more sticky fingers incidents. I've been on my best behavior this summer," she finished sarcastically.

It did make sense that A would go after the ones who were actively keeping secrets first. But there was no doubt in Spencer's mind that Hanna wouldn't be left alone forever.

"Are you going to end things with Wren?"

Aria's question caught Spencer off guard. Was she going to end things with Wren? Just the thought was enough to send her into a panic. She couldn't imagine how things would be if she didn't have Wren to fall back on. And there it was. She was dependent on Wren, something that was so uncharacteristic of her that she was surprised she hadn't figured it out earlier. It wasn't normal for her to literally need someone; she hadn't even felt that way about Toby.

After months of freedom from A, the fierce determination that flooded back through her was almost welcome. She had become too complacent, un-alert when she should have been preparing herself for the other shoe to drop. If Mona had been the first act, she couldn't begin to imagine what this new and improved A would try to do.

"No." She wasn't going to sit back and let A ruin her life again. She wouldn't get rid of Wren like she had broken up with Toby. Instead, she would stand her ground. She was a Hastings. It wasn't in her hardwiring to lie down and take it. Maybe that's how they had handled A the last time, but this time would be different.

"The opposite, actually."

When she looked back up, Hanna and Aria were both staring at her expectantly.

"I'm going to tell him I want to be with him. I want people to know about us. It shouldn't be a secret any longer."

"So you thought about what I said then," Hanna said, looking pleased with herself.

In reality, Spencer hadn't had the chance to think about it since that day. But looking back on everything the blonde had said, she was right. For once. It wasn't worth it to keep up this pretense of friends with benefits.

"I guess I did."

"So you're going to what?" Aria questioned. "Ask him to be your boyfriend or something?"

Spencer shrugged. It sounded so insignificant when Aria put it like that but the thought of actually being in a public relationship with Wren felt strangely right to her. Was it even a possibility? All along, she had thought it was what Wren really wanted, but she could have been wrong. Maybe her ego was making her see things that weren't really there.

"I don't know. I need to talk to him."

Hanna and Aria exchanged glances. "So you're telling me that you want to chance Melissa and your parents finding out about you two?"

"I don't just want to risk it." She stopped. What she was thinking of doing was completely and totally insane. "I'm going to tell them."

"You're going to what?" Aria exclaimed.

"Tell them. I'm not going to let A coerce me into ruining whatever stability you've managed to get back with your parents. And I'm definitely not going to let them take away the one reason I haven't been completely miserable this summer. Hanna, you were partially right the other day. I was isolating myself after Toby left. Until Wren showed up. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would have sat in my room for months on end, depressed and immersed in school work just like the last time. I can't go back to that."

Hanna and Aria exchanged yet another glance. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Maybe it was crazy, especially if Hanna was questioning her reasoning. Usually, the blonde let issues drop after Spencer explained her thinking.

"I am." The truth behind those words took her off guard. There would be hell to pay when her family found out. Melissa would most likely never speak to her again and her parents wouldn't be able to look her in the eye because they would be so disappointed. But it would be worth, more than worth it, if it meant her and Wren could stop sneaking around. It sounded selfish of her, but that was such a rare thing for her that she deserved it just this once.

Another shared look between Aria and Hanna. Spencer hated when they acted like they could read each other's minds. "I know it seems crazy. But I refuse to let this be like last time. I'm not going to sit idly by while some crazy stalker tries to ruin my life. Again. Once was enough. From now on, I'm just going to do what I want and not worry about the consequences.

From the looks on her two friends' faces, she could tell that neither of them really believed her. "When?" asked Hanna.

Good question. Before she lost the courage. Before A had the chance to rat her out to her family. Before Wren changed his mind and decided to be with someone who didn't have nearly as much baggage as she did.

"Now."

"What? Now? I thought we were going to have lunch?" Once again, Hanna had the ability to make Spencer feel guilty. And hungry.

"I know. And I promise we will. Just not today. I need to take care of this and then I swear I'll be around more." They exchanged a doubtful look and then turned their attention back to Spencer. "How mad will you be if I go?"

Did they think she couldn't see them looking at each other that way? "We won't be," Aria finally said begrudgingly.

Hanna continued, "We understand." And now it would seem that they were the same person, as well. Of course they understood. Both of them had the same romantic streak running through them.

"Thank you," Spencer answered faintly, checking her watch. It was almost 12:15. Wren was supposed to be getting back to her house around 12:30 when his shift at the hospital was over. If she left right then, she might beat him there before her courage disappeared.

Standing up, she grabbed her purse and phone off the table. "Call us later with the details!" Hanna called out after her.

"Good luck!" Aria added. Over her shoulder, she waved but didn't answer. She couldn't let herself get distracted. The drive home felt longer than normal. When had she made this decision? When had she gone from wanting nothing serious with him to wanting every meaning of the word. Was it because he had been her first? She had once heard that girls get extra attached to the first guy they had sex with. But she had never been the clingy type. Would she still be doing the same thing if A had never reappeared in her life? Was A her only motivation now?

No. A million times no. She was doing it because Wren was the one person in her life who had always been there since she met him, ready to listen or to not, never expecting a single thing in return. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have been just as content staying friends with no benefits if that's what she had wanted. It had taken her almost a year, but finally she was coming to the enlightening realization that Wren genuinely cared for her, had always cared for her, no strings attached.

She had to stop herself from wondering why he had chosen her. Melissa had always been the better of the two and it made no sense that he would give up what he had with her just to kiss her little sister. But he had and who was she to question his decisions. Hopefully, he wasn't going to shoot her down though.

Pulling into her driveway, she was relieved to see that his car still wasn't there. At least she would have time to pull herself together before he got back. Look at the way she was letting herself get all worked up over a boy. She hadn't felt this way since she and Toby had started going out. Not that she ever thought about him anymore. Barely anyway.

After going inside, she spent a good ten minutes pacing the length of her living room, wondering how to go about bringing up something as big as what she needed to talk about. Would it be better to lead up to it, hoping he would begin to understand without her having to explain it outright? Or would it be better to just get it over with by telling him as soon as he walked through the door? He would be caught off guard but at least she wouldn't have to worry about wording things carefully that way.

Before she knew it, the sound of Wren's car pulling up came through the window. And she still hadn't come to a decision. Hopefully, she would be able to pull it together in the heat of the moment.

"Hi." Spencer turned around at the sound of his voice, watching him as he shut the side door behind him. Instantly, she felt slightly more at ease. How was it possible that he was both the cause of her nervousness and her comfort at the same time?

"Hey," she breathed out, trying to act normal. Not that it worked. Wren immediately picked up on her demeanor.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Because lying was always a good way to start off conversations like the one she was about to have. "I mean…"

"Did something happen?" In a second, he was across the room and standing in front of her.

"No. It's nothing like that. I just… I need to talk to you about something."

Wren's face began to look slightly panicked. His eyes flickered down to her stomach and she blanched. Of course he would assume she was pregnant. Quintessential guy worry.

"Can we?" Her head nodded to the couch.

"Of course." They moved together and she sat down, pulling her legs up so that her feet were underneath of her before turning to face him.

"This isn't working."

From the way Wren froze, it was easy to tell that spur of the moment lines may not have been the best way to go.

"Not, not like that. I just…" She just what? Why was it so hard to put into words? "I hate sneaking around like this." That was true. She had lost her interest in keeping secrets when she met Alison.

"Okay?" Wren looked confused. After a beat of silence, he continued, "Are you saying you want to stop seeing one another?" He thought for a minute and grimaced. "Not that we're seeing each other… I just meant… Do you not want to continue with our…arrangement?"

Spencer's nose wrinkled. Arrangement. He made it seem like so formal. Nothing about them was formal.

"That's not what I meant either," he said quietly, looking like he was on the verge of panicking himself.

"I know. But that's exactly what I mean. I'm sick of not knowing what this is and of feeling like I need to hide it from everyone."

Wren hesitated and Spencer could tell that he was trying to choose his words very carefully, probably because he didn't want to upset her. "So you want people to know what we're doing?"

"No!" Spencer frowned. It was proving to be more difficult than she had imagined. "I'd prefer that they didn't know the details of what we've been doing. What I want is… I want them to know about you and I. Together."

There was a beat of silence and then Wren tentatively said, "Together as in…"

Spencer nodded, both terrified and relieved to see the understanding wash across his face.

"You want us to be…together? As in really together?" Spencer nodded again. She was just as surprised as he was. Up until three days earlier, the thought never would have crossed her mind. She would have to tell him to thank Hanna if he decided he felt the same way.

"I tried to tell myself for so long that I didn't feel anything for you. That whatever happened between us was just physical. But I was lying to myself this entire time. I know we connect in…that way." Did they ever. "But…" Spencer frowned, unable to put her feelings into words once again. "I don't know what I would have done without you this summer. I don't think you understand how much I've come to depend on you. You're not just the guy I'm sleeping with. I know my family is going to be completely against this, but there's nothing they can do. I turn eighteen soon and after that I'm free. Not that I think they would do anything like kick me out anyway. Hopefully." She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of those thoughts and stay on topic. "I just want to be with you without having to worry about someone finding out. Who cares that you're older than me or that you used to be engaged to my sister. It doesn't matter. I just want to be with you."

But what if he didn't want to be with her? Spencer started to become agitated, especially after Wren didn't answer right away. She had been too upfront, too overconfident. She had been reading him wrong the entire time. How could someone like him ever actually want to date someone like her? She was still in high school for god's sake.

"Are you absolutely positive this is something you want to do? Any progress you've made with your parents, Melissa, is probably going to be destroyed if they find out about us. Are you sure you're willing to risk that?"

It was true that things with her family had been unusually good so far that summer. Her parents hadn't been so hard on her, most likely deciding to ease off after they got wind of what Mona had put her through. And Melissa was like a completely different person since the baby had been born. But Wren's words gave her renewed hope. "Yes," she said firmly. "I can't let my family keep influencing everything I do. If I think it's right to be with you, than nothing should stop me." Except him. "Unless you don't feel the same way."

Wren's eyebrows rose. "Are you daft?" Touchy subject. Not that she would ever admit it, but sometimes her intelligence wasn't as up to par as she would like it to be. "I've been wanting to say all this to you practically since the day I met you." That long ago? "At least since the night outside the motel."

Another wave of relief flooded through her. She had suspected as much but it was better to hear it from his mouth instead of just in her mind. "So we're actually going to try to do this?" Try was the key word. She knew it might not work. She knew there was a larger chance of it failing miserably than of it actually working out. She had seen Aria go through the same thing. The way her family disapproved. The way she had been forbidden from seeing Fitz. Spencer knew that there was a huge possibility that the same thing would happen to her. It may not have been the smartest thing to do, but she could feel down to her bones that it was the right decision.

A had given her an ultimatum of either destroying Aria's relationship with her family or destroying her own. By doing exactly what A had threatened to do to her, Spencer felt like she was beating them at their own game. For once.

While lost in her thoughts, Spencer had failed to notice that Wren had given her no answer. Instead, he had scooted closer to her, his hands grasping her thighs and a smile playing across his mouth. "It would appear so," he finally said.

Spencer's heart was pounding. Here he was in front of her, telling her that he wanted to be with her, wanted to make things work between then. She hadn't realized how desperate she was to hear him say something like that to her. His face hovering in front of hers, she held her breath, waiting for him to kiss her.

"So what would that make you?"

Her brow furrowed, unsure about what he meant. "What?" she breathed.

"What are you to me?" he whispered, his nose only skimming over the side of her face.

"I'm your…girlfriend?" The word didn't nearly encompass what she was to him. It felt trivial and foreign, but also made her shiver with excitement. She was his girlfriend.

"You are," he answered, brushing his lips over hers. Her mouth opened, searching for him to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away. "So what am I?"

Spencer grinned. He wanted to hear her say it. "I don't know," she teased, letting her head fall against the back of the couch. "Why don't you tell me?"

His head shook and she could feel the smile on his face as he rested his forehead against hers. He smelled like the hospital. Usually, she hated anything that had to do with that place, especially after all he time she had spent there in the past year. But when Wren came home with the scent clinging to him, Spencer couldn't help but feel safe.

"Boyfriend." That word sounded too insignificant too. Wasn't what they had between them too intense to be categorized by those two words. It was, but there was no other way to put it. Not yet.

"Yes?" She felt the thrill of hearing him answer to the title, as if she had called him by his name. Were they going to be one of those couples? Sickeningly sweet? God, she hoped not. But maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

"You're my boyfriend." It was that simple. They hadn't been on that couch more than five or ten minutes and everything between them was different. A part of her had been preparing for a tediously long conversation about the risks and what they both wanted out of their relationship.

Relationship. They were in a relationship. Wren was her boyfriend. She was Wren's girlfriend. They were going to do all sorts of couple-y things like go on dates and bicker and introduce one another to their friends and families. Wren was her boyfriend. She had to wonder how long it would take to sink in.

His hand slipped under her tank top and she shivered. Any fear she had had of things being different between them was gone. They were still them, passionate and desperate for one another. That was putting it nicely. Really, they were just horny and unable to keep their hands off each another.

His fingers on her stomach, his weight suddenly leaning over her, his mouth finally attacking hers, fervent and eager. All of it was so common to her, yet there was an air of newness about them, something telling her that she was starting over. They were starting over

They kissed deeply, shifting until they were almost lying down completely. It went on like that for awhile, until Spencer had no comprehension of how much time had past or what was going on in the outside world. When was the last time they had simply kissed without it immediately leading to something else? The ache between her legs was telling her to do something more, but for the meantime, she was content to bask in the simplicity of the moment.

All too soon, however, Wren pulled away. "What's wrong?" she asked, out of breathe and eager to continue.

Wren shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure…"

"Make sure of what?" she questioned, adjusting her position underneath of him.

"Now that we're together, there won't be any secrets right?" Spencer forced herself to laugh off his question. In reality, her mind flew to that envelope, the texts, her conversation with Aria and Hanna. Was she doomed to repeat the same mistakes she had made with Toby?

"Of course not." The first lie in their relationship had come all too soon.

"So you'll tell me if something is going on with you?" Wren's forehead was crinkled, the lines around his eyes more evident than usual. For the first time, Spencer could see where he looked older than her. Still, she couldn't bring herself to be honest. Not yet. Nodding her head, she did her best to give him an encouraging smile. "Promise?"

Why wouldn't he move on from the subject? They had been fine when they were kissing, but something had come over him. For a moment, she entertained the idea that somehow he knew. Did he? No. It wasn't possible. She was just being her normal paranoid self. "I promise I'll tell you everything," she said, grinning. "Even what I eat when we're not together and the songs I listen to while I do my homework."

At first, it looked like Wren wasn't going to move past it. He looked like there was something else he wanted to say. But then his face was softening and he whispered into her ear, "Good," before continuing to lavish his attention on her mouth.

She promised herself that she would tell him. Last time, they had been so desperate to keep it a secret. But that wouldn't work this time. She would have to talk to Aria and Hanna and even Emily when the she came home, but she wouldn't continue to hide something as monumental as A from Wren.

But for the time being, she was going to concentrate on her _boyfriend_ who was biting down on her bottom lip gently, seeking admission for them to continue what they had been in the middle of before he interrupted. After that, it would turn into something more, harsh breathing and clothes strewn across the room. Her parents would probably want to burn the couch if they ever found out the things that had happened on it. Between herself and Melissa, it had seen its fair share of lust-filled moments.

Wren's hands moved over the bare skin of her stomach. When had her shirt come off? She sighed and tilted her head back so that he could have better access to her neck, knowing there was nowhere else in the world that she would rather be than with him.

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**A/N: On a side note, the fact that Wren is now apparently into Hanna on the show makes me want to flip tables. Why couldn't they have just left him for Spencer? Anyway, make sure to review! The more I get, the faster the rest of the chapters go up! Thanks for reading and I hope you like it. **


	15. The Try Pt 2

**A/N: Part 2! Probably the fluffiest thing I've ever written.**

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"I can't believe we're doing this," Spencer muttered, trying to suppress the over-excited smile that was threatening to explode on her face. She wasn't doing a great job at hiding it. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Spencer hated surprises with a burning passion. The unexpected made her anxious and on edge. But for Wren, she could make an exception.

"Is it far away?" Staring at him intently, she watched as he debated whether or not to tell her.

Finally, he answered with a sly smile, "Not really."

So they wouldn't be in the car for that long. Unless he was lying to her. Which he could be, but she found that very doubtful. Wren was a firm believer in telling the truth.

"Why did I have to bring a change of clothes?"

"Just in case."

Could he be anymore vague? Probably. Spencer turned her attention to her window, watching the scenery fly by. They were leaving Rosewood.

"Please tell me where we're going?" It was worth it to try one more time. Maybe she would be able to break him down.

"Nope." Or not.

Sighing, she rested her head against the headrest and shut her eyes, thinking about what had prompted their trip in the first place.

_After christening her couch twice, they had continued to lie there, limbs intertwined and drifting in and out of sleep. Eventually, Wren had tightened his hold around her waist and muttered her name. _

_"Mhm?"_

_"Are you awake?"_

_"Mhm."_

_"Do you think we went too fast?"_

_The question had been enough to knock Spencer out of whatever dreamlike state she had been in. "What do you mean?"_

_"It just seems like we rushed past a lot of things to get to where we are now." Where they were now? Naked, on her parents couch? She squinted over at him, analyzing the way his face looked pensive, but not regretful. Thankfully. Regret was an emotion she had a hard time dealing with. _

_"We didn't rush. Not that I had anything to do with that. You made me wait, remembered?" Her tone was playful, and she nudged him with her shoulder to show him she was joking. Thankfully, he smiled at her comment. _

_"I did." Her eyes remained trained on his face as he thought some more. _

_"I know I've said this before, but I regret nothing that's happened between us. I don't think I could if I tried. Do you?"_

_"Of course not!" At least he sounded like he meant it. They lay there in silence for another minute before he said something else. "Do you want to go out?"_

_Spencer froze. Did she want to go out? Like…out? "Like on a date? Are you asking me on a date?"_

_Wren laughed, probably at the disbelief in her voice. "Maybe. Most people go out a couple times before they move on to…this."_

_"So now you want to stop having sex until we've gone on the socially acceptable amount of dates required before a physical relationship is established?" Sometimes, her scientific way of talking took over her mouth before she could do anything about it. No wonder everyone at school thought she was such a nerd. _

_"I don't believe that's what I just said. I don't want to stop this." Of course he didn't. Because as much of a gentlemen as he was, Wren was also a guy and what guy would willingly give up sex? "Let me take you out though. Saturday. I have off from the hospital. We'll spend the day together." _

_Spencer thought about it for a minute. "Like one big date?"_

_"Or a bunch a smaller dates all together." That didn't sound like the worst thing in the world. The only time her and Wren had even been outside together since they started seeing each other was when they washed his car or went swimming in her pool._

_"That sounds like fun."_

_"Oh really? Don't sound so enthused about it." Spencer shook her head and rolled on top of him. _

_"As long as we don't have to stop doing this, I'll do whatever you want me to do."_

_Her body shook as he laugh. "Well I do think we should stop." Before she could protest, he hurried to keep talking. "Only until Saturday. It will make it more special."_

_More special. More like it would make her more sexually frustrated than she normally was. _

_"You're such a girl," she muttered, collapsing against his chest._

_Wren ignored her. "Then it's a plan."_

_Of course it was. Because it wasn't like she was going to say no when he was asking her to do something so cute. "I guess. And it's not a plan. It's a date." _

The next thing she knew, Wren was shaking her shoulder and laughing. Between the monotony of trees flying by her window and the fact that Wren had made her wake up so early, Spencer had been lulled to sleep within seconds. "We're here."

"We are?"

He nodded, his eyes darting down to her lips and then back. In any other situation, he would have kissed her right then. They probably would have done a whole lot more than kiss, actually. But they were together, finally, and Spencer knew that he wasn't going to break his own rules, even though she found them pointless.

"Come on." Wren pushed his door open and got out. For the first time, Spencer looked at their surroundings. They were in the woods? Of all the things she had envisioned him planning for their so called first date, something in the middle of the frickin forest was not it.

Like he knew what she was thinking, Wren appeared at her door, opening it and holding out his hand.

"Come on."

Without a word, she got out of the car, avoiding his hand and surveying the area. It was getting close to midmorning and the air was already beginning to get a sticky, humid feel to it. Even though she had ignored his hand at first, he grabbed hers anyway, lacing their fingers together and shutting her door behind them.

"Someone's being a little presumptuous, don't think?" She nodded down to the intertwined hands and gave him a look. Two could play his pretend date game.

"What can I say? I'm taking a chance."

Following his lead, they began walking through the trees, following a barely there path. Spencer kept her eyes glued to the ground, careful not to trip over anything that was sticking up. Wren could have at least told her to wear better shoes.

After about five minutes, they came out on a beach. The sand was darker than beach sand, mixed in with rocks and sticks. There was a river flowing next to them, and across the way was a big cliff.

"What…?" She looked over at Wren, confused as to what he had planned.

"Come on." He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground. "We're going swimming."

"We are?"

"We are." With that, his unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down, leaving him standing in front of her in just his boxers.

"But I didn't bring a bathing suit," she said, still dazed at the way things had turned out.

Wren glanced down at himself and then gave her a look. "Why do you think I told you to bring a change?"

That did make sense. Unsure, she fingered the hem of her tank top, thinking about the dress she had left in her bag back in the car. Spontaneity. Wasn't that something she had been striving for since her and Wren had started doing what they were doing?Mine as well keep up with the trend. She pulled her shirt off, thankful that for once she had worn a bra, and dropped it onto of his clothes. Her shorts quickly followed

"I'm not taking anymore off."

Wren's eyes lingered on her mostly bare form. "That'll do. I'm going like this. Come on. We have to swim across to the other side." There he went again, holding out his hand like he would lead her into a perfect moment.

They waded in together. The water was warm already, and Spencer kicked away from Wren, splashing him and continuing to the other bank. Halfway there, he grabbed her ankle, yanking her back and making her shriek. Flipping in the water, she found herself closer to him than she had expected, close enough to kiss.

Right before his lips touched hers, she leaned away. "I don't kiss on the first date." Wren looked confused for a second, like he didn't remember the details of their agreement. Then he shook his head, looking slightly disappointed if Spencer had anything to say about it. "Of course."

Letting a space form between them, he pushed her towards the shore, smiling when she swam backwards so she could keep looking at him. Once they reached the other side, she watched as he walked out.

"What are you waiting for?"

Her eyes lingered on the huge rock in front on them. More like a mountain. He had better not be planning what she thought he was. But of course he was. "Spencer?"

She shook her head. "I'm not going up there."

"It's not as high as it looks."

"Aren't you a doctor? Shouldn't you know better than to do things that are an obvious risk to your health? To your life is more like it."

The look on Wren's face told her that he was doing his best not to laugh at her. "Please?" he was able to get out, ducking his head to hide his smirk.

"No."

Wren frowned. "You really don't want to?" Was that a note in his voice telling her to feel bad for messing up the very first thing on his agenda?

"No." She sounded like a petulant child.

"For me?" For him, she would probably jump off a bridge.

"How high is it?"

Glancing up at it, he squinted. "Not too high. 40, maybe 50 feet, at most." In other words, really freaking high. "Don't tell me Spencer Hastings is afraid of heights."

Spencer scoffed. "Of course I'm not. I just don't have a death wish." Except she was afraid of heights, something that had only intensified since the night in the bell tower.

Wren shook his head. "Alright. I'll go by myself then." With that, he started to climb up the side of the cliff, using the trees to help pull himself along. She was more than a little surprised that he had stopped trying to convince her. Any other time, he would have nagged her until she gave in. But no one would do something like that on a first date. It would make them seem too pushy. Suddenly, it made sense. He was trying so hard.

"Wait!" She scrambled to get out of the water, scanning the area to make sure no one else was around. It looked like they were alone. From his position on the hill, he smirked as he watched her carefully making her way up, cursing the fact that her shoes were on the other shore. Finally, his hand was in her face and she took it gratefully. The rest of the way up, she hung onto him with a tight grip, until they reached the top.

"This is even higher than it looked from down there," she commented, peaking over the edge.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, you know." Worry had crept into his voice, mirroring Spencer's own anxiousness and dislike of heights, which she had refused to admit to earlier.

Shaking her head, she swallowed and tried to smile at him, though it probably came out as more of a grimace. "No. I, I want to."

"Are you positive? Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all."

"It was a great idea. Really. I just need a minute to get used to it." When she thought about it, she realized she wasn't lying. It really was a great idea. Completely original for a first date. Something she never would have thought of or expected from anyone.

Tentatively, she inched closer to the edge. "It's safe right?"

"Do you really think I would bring you here if it wasn't?"

Of course not. Like he could ever do something to hurt her. Still, in the back of her mind she knew that it couldn't be completely harmless. "The key is to make sure your feet hit first. Don't pull your knees up to your chest or it will knock the wind out of you. And don't go headfirst. For obvious reasons. Not the first time anyway."

So he was expecting her to jump. Just like that. "It's not fun until you're in the air," he whispered, his arms snaking around her waist. It looked like they were taking a break from first date protocol. After a minute of allowing herself to lean back against his chest, she took a deep breath.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Are you sure? I wasn't joking when I said it may not have been my best idea."

"Wren, it's fine. I'll be fine." Glancing at the water below them, her heart pounded. Hopefully she would be fine. If her bones didn't shatter, that is. "Jump with me?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He grasped her hand as she pushed away from him, moving closer to the edge so that his toes were hanging over. "Ready?"

She nodded, swallowing hard and avoiding his eyes as he talked. "On the count of three?"

"Right." Her head bobbed again in agreement.

Wren started off. "One…"

Spencer joined him. "Two…"

Together, they yelled, "Three," and then Spencer was in the air before she even realized that she had jumped. Wren had been right. It wasn't fun until you jumped. For the split second that she was suspended in the air, she was free. Free from A, free from the judgement of her family, free from everything she had gone through.

By the time she hit the water, she could feel the huge smile that was on her face. Like Wren had instructed, she made sure that her feet were the first thing to go. Right after, the rest of her body plunged in as well. The water was colder than she remembered it being.

When they surfaced, Spencer was laughing. "That was amazing!"

Wren's grinned matched her own. "You thought so? I wasn't sure from the way you screamed bloody murder and tried to break my hand."

Spencer loosened her grip, for the first time realizing how tightly she had been holding on. She hadn't even noticed that she screamed. Mostly out of reflex, she pulled Wren towards her, pressing her lips against his and wrapping her arms around his neck. He responded with equal intensity, his fingers running up her sides as both of their feet fought to keep them afloat. When they finally pulled away, he smirked.

"I thought you didn't kiss on the first date?"

Spencer shrugged. "I made an exception." She brushed her lips against his once again, licking his bottom lip lightly until he opened his mouth. She had missed the feel of his mouth on hers, the way his tongue felt against hers, the weight of his hands when they settled on her waist. She missed a lot of things, but if she wanted to continue with their plan, she couldn't let it go any further.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, smirking when he looked annoyed for a split second.

"I would imagine that was the adrenaline making it hard for you to control yourself."

He couldn't have been more right. She could still feel her heart thumping, the blood rushing through her veins. That had been more exhilarating than anything else she had ever done.

"If this is date one, I can't wait to see what's next," she mumbled.

"Don't get your hopes up. The next one is a bit more conventional. But we're not done here yet." He pulled her back towards the shore, and she found that this time she was excited to get back to the top.

"Let's go."

Spencer lost track of time quickly. After jumping off a couple more times, they wandered a little bit and found a rope tied to a tree. Wren insisted on trying it out first, just to make sure it would hold his weight. When it did, Spencer took full advantage of the opportunity.

Eventually though, she started to get tired from all of the climbing and the sun and the heat. She leapt into the river one last time, and then floated on her back, closing her eyes and sighing. It was peaceful there.

"Are you hungry?"

In the back of her throat, she made a noise signaling that she was, but stayed where she was, even after she felt Wren's presence next to her.

"Come on. Date number two awaits."

Cracking one of her eyes at him, she pretended to pout. "I'm tired."

"You'll wake up after we eat. Let's go." He wrapped his hand around her wrist and started tugging her to shore. Half way there, she stood and began walking on her own.

"So what's for lunch?"

"You'll see." Of course. Because what fun would the day be without Wren withholding every piece of information he could.

Their second date was more on the stereotypical side than cliff diving. After they had both gotten changed at the car, Wren pulled a picnic basket basket complete with white and red checkers out of his trunk and led her down a different path to where there were a couple of picnic tables grouped together.

"I figured you wouldn't want to sit on the ground." He knew her so well. He settled across from her, placing a sandwich in front of her and going about unwrapping his own.

"This is about as cliché as you can get," she teased, mimicking his actions. "Although I am glad that you remembered I don't like mayonnaise," she commented as she peeked between the two slices of bread. "No champagne?"

Wren's head shook back and forth as he grinned at her. "I think we have enough things to worry about without my getting arrested for providing alcohol to a minor."

"Wouldn't be the first time," she teased. Not that he had exactly offered that night. But he hadn't tried to stop her either.

"Just eat your sandwich, Spencer." There was a hint of exasperation in his voice, making her want to tackle him onto the ground and show him exactly how much she appreciated the effort he was making with her.

They ate and she couldn't help but be a little bit surprised at the way Wren actually made her feel like she was on a second date. He asked her questions, many of which he already knew the answer to, and told her story after story about his life in England, sometimes making her laugh until her sides ached and other times giving her the stark realization that his life had not been anywhere close to perfect growing up. It was something they had in common.

Many of the things he told her, she felt bad about never knowing before. Had she just not asked? Was she so self-centered that the small details about him had never interested her before? That couldn't be it. Most likely, it had more to do with the fact that she had been fighting the idea of the two of them for so long, she hadn't wanted to become anymore invested in him than she already was. Still, she regretted never getting to know him on such a normal level until then.

When they were done, Wren threw all of the leftovers back in the basket and stretched before moving to sit besides her on the bench. The whole time, Spencer watched him intently, looking to see if there was any clue of where he was going to take her.

"So what's next on the itinerary?"

Wren smiled softly. "That depends. How do you think date number two went?"

Spencer pretended to contemplate his question for a second, knowing that the longer she took to respond, the more he wouldn't be able to help getting nervous.

"I would say that it was...the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. It even beats the time some guy made me jump off a giant rock into a questionable body of water."

Wren was beginning to pick up her and Hanna's habit of rolling their eyes, making Spencer see why it annoyed him so much. Even so, he played into her teasing. "That does sound horrendous. I have absolutely no idea what the wanker was thinking."

His British terminology was another thing that made her want to jump on him. There was a good chance that she would never get used to it. Hopefully not, anyway. "So, since this is the end of the second date, I think it's about time we took this to the next level." As she had spoken, she had inched her way closer to him, placing her hands on his crossed knees and leaning forward to kiss him.

Surprisingly, it was innocent. Not completely chaste, but also not anywhere as heated as they normally got. Neither of their hands wandered anywhere inappropriate and their lips were gentle against one another. It was just enough to keep Spencer going until they finished the next thing on Wren's list.

* * *

The last thing Spencer expected to see when they reached their third destination was the brightly lit neon sign, turned on even though it was the middle of the day, and the groups of kids pushing against each other as they gathered around the doorway.

"You brought me to an arcade?" Disbelief oozed from her statement as she continued to watch the building in front of them. A little boy was crying in front of his obviously frazzled mother with an upturned ice cream cone laying between them. A girl that could be no older than eleven was standing on the curb, one hand on her hip and an iPhone held up to her ear. Whoever was on the other end of the line was obviously getting an earful about something.

"It's not just an arcade." It wasn't? Maybe there was something else in the back. A library. A theater. A shooting range, preferably with a wide variety of targets available. The girl was now gesturing wildly, her poor attitude evident in the way she moved her head. The boy had amped up his screaming to a full blown tantrum, sitting on the ground and stomping his feet onto the hard cement. If that's what she had to look forward to, Spencer would never have children.

"They have laser tag!" Spencer's eyebrows shot up at the excitement in Wren's voice. "And bowling." Who know he was such a sucker for that kind of place. "And go karts!"

"Come here often?"

Wren looked confused. "What? No. Well, we used to go to one like this when we were all still at Uni. Some of my best memories are from a place like this."

He wasn't joking. Spencer had to adjust to the fact that inside of Wren's proper, doctor exterior, he was really just a big kid. His eyes reminded her of when a child got something that they had been begging for.

"Do you not want to stay here?"

Did she want to leave? "No! No. I just wasn't expecting this to be somewhere you would take me. It's fine. Great." She smiled, hoping that it didn't look too fake for him.

"Are you sure? Because I have a back up if necessary."

"Really, It's great. I'm excited. I haven't been to one of these since…" Ever. Her parents had never taken her and Melissa. They always assumed they had all the fun they needed at their various lessons. Between piano and tennis and horseback riding, they should have been having the time of their lives. Except nothing is fun when your parents forced you to go there once a week for years. "Let's go in."

Wren still looked skeptical, and Spencer felt another wave of guilt wash over her. Looking back on all of the time they had spent together, she was sure that Wren always did what she wanted to do, no questions asked. It had only been a couple days and already she was being a crappy girlfriend. But at least she could still fix it. "Did you say go karts? I am so going to kick your ass."

"Is that right?"

Spencer nodded, shooting him a flirty look before throwing her door open. She surveyed the people around them, glad to see that both the temperamental little boy and bitchy prepubescent girl were gone. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Wren was still in the car, doing something on his phone.

"Am I going to have to start without you? You better not be giving me a head start," she called out, snapping him out of his daze.

"Coming, coming," he responded. "What do you want to do first?" he asked, walking up and throwing his arm over her shoulders. For a second, her entire body stiffened until she remembered that it was okay. It was normal. Shaking off the sudden moment of panic, she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. What do you feel like losing at first?" Her question earned her a glare which she carefully avoided acknowledging. Maybe he would get so frustrated by her cockiness and natural ability to be the best at everything that he would let her distract him once they got back to the car.

Three hours later, their roles were reversed. It turned out that of all the things Spencer was good at, arcade games were not on that list. And Wren had really discovered his ability to gloat in the time they spent there. Spencer's tendency to be a sore loser was in full swing, especially due to the fact that Wren wouldn't wipe the boastful smirk off his face. Winning some pointless games wasn't even a real achievement.

Slamming her car door, she leaned against the back of her seat with a huff. Like laser tag and go cart races were in any way relevant to the real world. She stared at the stuffed animal that was on her lap. It was a green alligator that Wren had bought for her with all the tickets he won. He must have thought that it would calm her nerves. He'd been wrong.

"I don't know about you, but I enjoyed myself immensely back there." Spencer scowled at him, but refused to rise to his bait. Her aggravation wasn't something she wanted to give him the satisfaction of hearing.

"Let's just go."

Laughing, Wren started the car. "Are you hungry?"

Ravenous. Losing always made her feel like she hadn't eaten in years. Not like it happened that often. "No."

Wren looked skeptical. "Then you might not enjoy our next stop very much." Spencer perked up. The thought of food always made her bad moods lose their edge a little bit.

"I guess I could eat."

"Good. An do you like your crocodile?"

It was cute. "It's an alligator." In her peripheral line of vision, she saw Wren roll his eyes. She seriously needed to scale back on the correcting people thing. "And yes." Quietly, she added, "No one's ever won me anything before."

After she said it, Wren got the look on his face that was normally reserved for when they talked about her family. Ignoring it, she reached over and grabbed his hand, letting them rest on her leg, feeling her temper begin to die down a little. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. And It's also good to know that you weren't exaggerating about your obsessive need to be the best at everything." Spencer allowed herself a tiny smile, glad that she hadn't upset him or frustrated him with her attitude. It was something she had a hard time controlling when she didn't win. At least she knew that was one thing that wouldn't push him away.

* * *

By the end of their fourth date, Spencer could barely keep her hands off of Wren. To calm Spencer down, he had brought her to a nice restaurant, out of the way enough that they most likely wouldn't run into anyone they knew, but also close enough that it would still be considered public. The only problem she ran into was the fact that since Wren had slid into the booth next to her so they were sitting side by side instead of across from one another, his fingers had been progressively working their way across and up her thigh. The feel of his fingertips made it nearly impossible to concentrate on the food in front of her.

Afterwards, he took her to an ice cream shop, even though she was positive she hadn't sounded enthusiastic about the idea in the first place. He was probably dragging it out just to tease her. Correction. He was definitely dragging it out to tease her.

"So, are you ready to go home yet?" She had thrown the remains of her cone in the garbage and spent the last five minutes watching Wren eat painfully slow. All she wanted was to be in bed, with him, right then.

"Not quite. I have one more thing planned for us."

He had to be joking. "You're kidding right?"

Wren shook his head. "Not at all. Fifth date's the winner."

"What does that even mean?"

"I think you can figure that out on your own."

Of course she could. Her own sexual frustration must have momentarily blocked her common sense. "Where are we going now?"

Wren grinned, thankfully finishing his ice cream and standing up. "You'll see when we get there." Great. Another secret.

Instead of going back to the car, Wren led her down the street. After about ten minutes of walking, they stopped in front of an old fashioned theater that apparently only showed foreign films. That was what she assumed from the titles anyway.

Her eyes took in the bold black lettering on the marquee. "You're taking me to see _Das Boot_?"

Wren nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself. "It's one of my favorites. You'll love it."

"Do you even speak German?"

"Not a word," Wren answered, stepping away from her to order their tickets at the kiosk. There had to be some sort of hidden meaning behind this plan.

"Ready?" She nodded once, taking his hand when he offered it and letting him lead her inside the dark theatre. "Did you want anything? Popcorn? A drink?" Spencer shook her head, still full from dinner. "Alright." They walked down another hallway and into a small, dimly lit room with rows of chairs covered in old, musty red velvet.

Wren picked them out a seat in the back corner, where the light barely reached and settled down with a contented sigh.

"So you said this is one of your favorite movies?"

Wren nodded enthusiastically. "I did."

"Why?"

Wren looked taken aback. "What's not to love? Submarines. World War II. Subtitles." Did she detect a hint of sarcasm in his voice? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part.

Just then, the lights above them shut off completely, leaving them in complete darkness until the movie began. They had made it just in time. There hadn't even been any previews. With a sigh that was far from content, Spencer leaned back against her seat. At least after this they could go home and do what she had been waiting to do since they woke up that morning.

On the screen, a block of words in German appeared, with the English subtitles layered overtop. The steady beeping of underwater sonar filled the theater.

Wren's hand rested on her knee, squeezing slightly and making Spencer's skin feel like it was on fire. She glanced around, for the first time noticing that they were completely alone, not another seat occupied in the entire theater. His fingers began to trace patterns on the inside of her leg, swirling around and around and slowly making their way upwards.

"What-?"

Her question was cut off by Wren's mouth on hers. So that's why he'd been so keen on seeing the movie. As his lips brushed over the skin right below her ear, he whispered, "Just for the record, this actually is one of my favorite movies. But you'll have to watch it another time."

His tongue darted out against the skin of her collarbone, making her shudder. How perfectly he had planned out the day, ending it with a hot make out session in a dark theater. She wondered if her had planned this from the beginning, if he had been thinking about it throughout at the day, as eager to get there as she had been to get home. It made her feel better to think that he had.

As the movie played, they continued to kiss, hands roaming and groping and Spencer was struck again by how genius this last stop had been. Didn't every couple end up making out in a movie theater at some point? She never had, but she had always been under the impression that it was common. There was one more thing she could cross of her list of things to do. It was the perfect ending to the perfect date.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reading! I move back to school tomorrow so I don't know if I'm going to be able to update as much as I have this summer. But I will try my hardest! Leave me reviews to cheer me up when I get sad about leaving home!**


	16. The Game

**A/N: It's been so long since I've updated. I've been super busy getting back into school and there was like a week where I would leave my apartment at 7 and not be back until 11 that night so I didn't have any chance to write. But things are calming down now so hopefully I'll be able to get back into writing and updating semi-regularely. **

**On a different note, the summer finale completely blew my mind. Obviously I want Spencer and Wren together but the end broke my heart on Tuesday. I can't believe we have to wait until October to see what happens next! **

**But enough of my rambling and onto the next chapter, which is fairly M rated. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

It had been an impossibly long day at the hospital. Afterwards, Wren had shuffled through Spencer's side door and up to her room, changing out of his scrubs into something more comfortable, and settled into her red chair by the window, praying she would want to go to bed early. Not likely. But he could hope. It had been such an early shift, and sitting there trying to read his book was making it a struggle for him to stay awake. The only thing that did make him want to stay up was thinking about how things had played out between the two of them since their 'date.'

There was something about that past week that made him invigorated.

It was the way they flawlessly settled into a relationship with no awkwardness or disagreements. It was the fact that Spencer had been the one to suggest it, something he never in a million years would have thought would happen. It was the way she seemed to have the same excited, hard to contain feelings as he did, making it more difficult to keep their hands off of each other. It was that Spencer Hastings was his girlfriend.

Along with being thrilled about their newfound status, they had also both been hit with a case of the honeymooners' phase. Until Spencer had sat him down the week before, he had begun to sense a subtle slowing down of their sex life. It had to do with the pictures, he was sure of that. After the fact, he could see that they had been the driving force behind Spencer's period of avoidance, as short lived as it was. And Wren himself had been hesitant to continue their relationship the way it was when she was keeping something so momentous from him.

It still lingered in the back of his mind. Where they had come from, who had taken them, why they had sent them to Spencer in the first place. But he also knew that Spencer was the type of person who didn't like her privacy invaded. It was his privacy too, but he knew she wouldn't see it that way. When she had seemed so happy to be with him, he had just assumed that whatever the problem had been, it was resolved and Spencer had taken it as a push into being with him.

He glanced over at Spencer, who was laying across her bed, books spread out in front of her while she wrote furiously in a notebook. Her ankles were crossed in the air behind her, rhythmically bobbing back and forth as she worked. In all probability, it was something that wasn't due for another two weeks.

Watching her face when she concentrated was one of his favorite things to do. Her features were just so focused and determined and made him feel bad for anything or anyone that got in her way. He continued to look at her for a few minutes, until she slammed her text book shut and closed her notebook. "Done," she proclaimed. "Finally." She gathered all of her school stuff of the bed, putting it in her bag to get ready for the next day.

He continued to watch her as she walked around her room, completing what he had learned was her nightly routine. She placed her schoolbag next to her door and then went to her bureau, where she pulled out clothes to sleep in. The she walked out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom.

As he listened to the various noises coming from the other room, the toilet flushing, the sink running, the sound of her brushing her teeth, he wondered if this was what it would be like to be married to her.

It was something he very rarely let his mind linger on. The chances of it ever coming true were so slim that he knew he was torturing himself whenever her entertained the idea. Most of the time, he forced it out of his head just as fast as it had popped in. But on a night like this, after they had practically been living together for the past week and their relationship was finally in a good place, he could see them doing this for the rest of their lives.

Of course, she wouldn't still be in high school, although he could see her being one of those people who was in school forever, getting degree after degree to add onto the end of their name. And he wouldn't be an intern anymore so he wouldn't be working such odd shifts at the hospital. He knew they would both be successful; he already was and there was no way she could not be.

He imagined that she would wear her glasses all the time once she got older, not wanting to bother with contacts anymore. She would have her hair up a lot more too, not in a sloppy way, but in that supposed to be messy bun he found so sexy.

He could see then arguing over who was going to make dinner, until they finally decided to order out. They wouldn't go to bed together; she would stay up later than him, reading or studying, and some nights when she finally finished, she would crawl into bed and wake him up by accident. He would never get irritated about it because they would always take full advantage of the opportunity before they finally fell asleep next to one another.

He thought they would maybe even have a baby. Eventually. He hoped it would be a girl who was just like her. Fierce and stubbornly independent. The way that Spencer had been raised made him think that she would be an excellent mother. She knew what it was like to have too much expected of her, and would never do that to their daughter.

Their daughter. He shook his head, trying to get the image out of his head as she walked back into the room. She was wearing a pair of black shorts and a blue tank top with no bra underneath. He would also bet on the fact that she probably wasn't wearing underwear either.

She climbed onto her bed, kneeling back on her heels and looking at him. "Play a game with me before bed?" That was something she had never suggested before. She was up to something.

There was a wary smile on his face when he responded. "What game?"

She hesitated and smiled back. "You might not have heard of it before."

Shooting her an incredulous look, he asked, "How do you play?" The suspicion was evident in his voice. Knowing her, she just wanted to pay him back for making her lose so bad the weekend before.

The corners of her mouth turned up. "Why don't you come over here and let me show you?"

He hesitated for a minute, already knowing she was going to beat him at whatever she had in store. And after her sore losing at the arcade, he wasn't sure he had the energy to deal with her competitiveness right then."I think I'd like to hear the rules before I commit to anything."

With what was her version of a fake shocked face, she acted offended when she questioned him. "Don't you trust me?"

He groaned, letting his head fall against the back of the chair. The noises of her getting off the bed filtered into his ears and then she was on top of him, her legs on either side of his and the comforting feeling of her weight pushing him down.

"Please," she whispered in his ear.

He groaned again, but still lifted his head to look her in the eye. "Please?"

He paused a moment, getting lost for a second in how dark her eyes were, before reluctantly saying, "I suppose I'll agree." He had barely even put up a fight.

She smiled, moving to get off of him. "Wait, where are you going?" he questioned.

"Back to bed?" Her tone suggested that this should have been obvious to him.

"Why can't we stay right here?" he asked, grabbing her hips and pulling her back towards him. She resisted, her eyes lingering on the red arm of the chair and then flickering out the window. It didn't take anymore than that to realize there was something about this chair that upset her. He got up quickly, saying, "Or we could just do it your way because I know that's what's going to happen anyway."

She smiled smugly before jumping onto the center of the bed and kneeling on it once again, patting the space next to her. He sat beside her, crossing his legs for that his knees rested on hers. "Are you going to explain now?"

She nodded, the sly smirk on her face making him even more positive that she was up to something. "It's actually pretty simple." She straightened her legs so that she was kneeling over him. Pressing her lips against his, she murmured, "There's only two rules. First, you have to kiss. And you're not allowed to stop."

He opened his mouth to hers, meeting her tongue with his. Maybe this game wouldn't be so bad, after all. They continued kissing, beginning to get deeper the longer they kept going. "What about. the other. rule?" he managed to choke out between kisses. His hands drifted up to settle on her butt and he felt her smirk into his mouth.

"The other rule," she said as she ran her arms down his to meet his hands, "Is that we're not allowed to touch each other." He stilled, letting her kiss away from his mouth. Her fingers intertwined with his as she pulled them down towards the bed.

"And what happens if one of us touches the other?"

She kissed her way down his face to her neck, leaving a wet trail as she went. "They lose."

"And what happens to the one who loses?"

He felt her mouth turn up on his chest and pulled her up so they were looking at each other. "The loser," she paused for a second to run her hands over his chest, "has to let the winner do whatever they want to them."

Wren paused, his hands stilling on her waist. "Anything?" Spender nodded, looking between his eyes. He didn't answer. Of course, this was making him incredibly hot already and they hadn't even done anything, but he was curious as to what she was going to do to him when she won.

She leaned close to him so that her face was next to him. "So will you play with me?" she whispered.

There was barely any hesitation that time before he was nodding his agreement. "Of course."

The satisfied look on her face made him both happy and wary. "Good," she said. Sinking back onto her heels, she gestured fro him to mirror her position. Once he had, she leaned forward, making him inhale deeply at the close proximity between their faces. "Are you ready?" she asked, brushing the tip of her nose against his. He nodded, his eyes darting down to her lips quickly.

Suddenly, his fingers were absent of hers as she pulled her hands away, keeping them near her body by resting them on her thighs. "Okay," she whispered, kissing him softly. He kissed her back hard, trying to get the upper hand from the start. Teeth dug into his lip as she bit down, grinning yet again and pushing her tongue into his mouth. Someone wasn't wasting any time.

His eyes opened for a minute to see that her hands were hovering anxiously near her face, tucking her hair behind her ears. He let his fall to the bed, gripping the sheets as she inched closer to him until her knee was rubbing him in exactly the wrong place. Or the right place, depending on how you looked at it.

He inhaled sharply into her mouth as her knee nudged against him again. His body was tense and his hands gripped the sheets even tighter. Peeking over at her, he was happy to see she wasn't quite as calm and collected as he had believed at first. Her hands were on her head, fingers interwoven through strands of her hair, obviously just as anxious as he was to put an end to the stupid game.

Their kissing was getting sloppier, many times not matching up quite right. Not that either of them seemed particularly bothered by it. Their breathing was hard, unable to keep up with their actions. Moaning softly, Wren felt Spencer begin to pull away from him. Was he actually going to win this ridiculous game? He felt her breathing hitch and couldn't resist opening his eyes once more.

The fingers of her right hand were in the waistband of her shorts. Was she about to do what he thought she was about to do? He groaned as he watched them slide down even further, her legs inching away from each other as her hand reached its destination. Of course she was. She was cheating. She really had planned this all along.

He struggled to keep his hands away from her, resisting the urge to pull her hand out and finish what she had started himself. She continued to kiss him but he barely noticed as he watched her hand move beneath the fabric of her pants. Her breathing sped up at the same time as her hand and it took all of his self control again to not touch her.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her other hand move towards him. For the second time, he got excited that she was about to touch him until he saw it settle on her own stomach. She left it there for a minute before it slid under her shirt and inched upwards. Groaning loudly, he had to shut his eyes just to restrain himself from grabbing her.

Without really knowing what he was doing, he leaned forward, accidentally making their teeth clash. She laughed shortly, pushing her knee forward to rub against the bulge in his pants torturously. His eyes opened slightly, checking to see what she was up to. Her other hand had made its way all the way under her shirt. Suddenly, he was regretting ever urging her to try something like that. Would she have ever voluntarily touched herself in front of him if he hadn't asked her to before he left for London? Most likely not. But it was too late to take it back now.

The vibrations of her moans sent shockwaves through his mouth. It was happening. She was actually getting herself off when he could easily have been doing it himself. The thought drove him crazy. Only hesitating another second, he pushed himself forward and grabbed both of her wrists.

She pulled away from him, breathing heavily with a smirk on her face. Without saying anything, Wren shook his head at her, leaning forward and kissing her roughly. "I won," she managed to get out before he attacked her with his mouth again. Not wasting anytime, he whisked her shirt up over her head and threw onto the floor next to them.

"I don't think you understand the point of the game," she murmured as his mouth settled on the spot right below her ear. Of course he did. But he didn't tell her that as he shook his head and moved down her chest. "I give you full permission to do whatever you want to me. After I take care of you." He closed his lips around the rough bud there, tugging at it with his teeth. She arched under him, letting out a high pitched moan.

Taking that as her sign of consent, he pushed her pants down her leg and let her use her feet to do the rest. He didn't waste any more time in slipping his hand between their bodies and pushing two of his fingers into her, making her gasp and tighten around him immediately. Luckily, the element of surprise was on his side.

His thumb circled around and around as he watched the erratic up and down of her stomach. From the look on her face, he could tell that it wasn't going to take much to get her off. She must have been thinking about this for awhile before they had started because she was soaked. "Keep…" she whimpered as he slipped a third finger inside of her and curled them against her.

His pressed down, quickly establishing a rhythm that had her twisting on the bed next to him. He continued to work her up, the back of her hips pressing down into the bed as her back lifted. "Wren," she murmured, making him grin.

He loved watching her from this angle, with her head tilted back so that he could see the underside of her neck. He loved the noises she made, not loud like some of the girls he'd been with, namely her sister, but more soft and consistent, the same quiet sounds again and again. He loved the way his name seemed to slip out of her mouth like she couldn't help it, breathy and begging for him.

She began to pant and he could tell she was about to be gone. Pressing harder against her as he moved his fingers in and out, his thumb picked up speed as well. It wasn't long and then she was crying out, her legs instinctively tightening around him. The muscles of her inner thighs tightened visibly and her hand found the hair at the base of his skull.

He placed his other hand on her stomach, feeling the same fast rise and fall as he continued to move his other hand. He didn't slow down until her back had settled back on the bed. Sliding up her body, he brushed his lips lightly over hers as he settled next to her.

She laid there with her eyes closed, breathing hard, and smiled tiredly when he kissed her forehead. Before getting completely comfortable, he sat up and pulled his shirt off, adding it to the pile on the floor. "Don't get to comfortable," she muttered against his chest.

Pulling her even closer to him, he grinned. It would be surprising if she wasn't asleep in the next two minutes. He trailed his fingers up and down her arm, and soon enough her breathing had evened out and deepened. Shifting, he began to wonder if he would be able to fall asleep in his current state. He glanced down at Spencer and then at the door. Would he be able to sneak away from her and take care of things without waking her?

He pulled away slightly in an attempt, only to be have her make a short "mhm?" noise. He froze, settling back against the bed, and sighed. Maybe it would just go away if he tried to sleep. His eyes wandered over Spencer's naked form and he sighed again. Slowly, he reached down, barely managing to grasp the blanket at the foot of the bed and pulled it over them. There was no point in trying to stay awake she wasn't going to let him up.

What felt like only seconds later, he was awakened by Spencer talking loudly. "You cheated!" she said as soon as she saw him stir. He pulled a pillow over his face and groaned. "Come on! I won," she whined. "I get to do whatever I want to you now." He groaned again, peeking out to see that she had somehow managed to get up and put his shirt on without waking him up. When she did things like that, she seemed every bit of the high school girl she was. And he found every second of it adorable.

"I'm tired," he mumbled from under the pillow. She bounced harder, pulling the pillow off of his face. "It's only 10:30. It's too early to go to bed now." He shook his head, wearily rubbing his hands across his eyes. They had only been asleep for an hour. Or at least he had. Who knew how long she had been up. This was reminding him of that first night she had stayed at his house, waking him up in the morning because she wasn't used to sleeping in. How did she function on so little sleep? His mind wandered to the enormous cups of coffee she drank and he sighed. Of course he knew why she had such relentless energy.

"Wren?" He grunted softly, throwing his arm across his eyes and not answering her. "Are you not going to get up?" He shook his head, hoping she would give up. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt her hand slip inside of his pants. His entire body stiffened as he pulled his arm away from his face and looked down the bed at her.

"What are you doing?"

Spencer's eyebrows shot up as she grinned. "I thought it was obvious?" Her fingers grazed him and he twitched. It was. It was actually painfully obvious. Her weight shifted next to him and then the inside of her thighs were pressed against the outside of his knees, her body centered over his. "You knew the rules of the game before we played. And you don't get to back out."

Even though the 'game' had ended an hour ago, she still wasn't about to let him forget her win. Almost on their own, his hips lifted off of the bed so that she could push his pants down with her free hand, although they got stuck when they reached where she was sitting. Finally, she huffed in frustration and let him go, moving off of him in one fluid motion and then freeing him of the offending garment in the next.

Instead of returning her hand to it's previous position, she just trailed her nails lightly over his upper thighs. The feeling made him shiver and he watched as she grinned at his reaction. "There were a lot of things that I had never done before this summer." She paused before continuing. "Before you." Her hands move up even further and it took everything he had in him to stay still. "But there's still something I've been wanting to do."

Her fingers brushed over him and he tilted his head back onto the pillow, barely even able to comprehend the things she was saying. By his legs, her weight shifted again, her hand wrapping around him at the same time. At first, he thought nothing of it. And then her mouth was around him.

Of all the things Spencer had ever done, this was probably the most surprising. It was something that had never been brought up between them before and it wasn't something he really found necessary. From the beginning, he had been more than content with whatever Spencer was comfortable doing. But from the way her mouth was moving around him, it seemed she had found something new she was comfortable with.

It was a struggle for him to keep his hips still. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable, but the slow pace she had established was already too much for him. "Spencer…" he grunted, hoping she would somehow understand what he was trying to say.

Instead of taking the hint, she seemed to get the opposite meaning from him. All at once, she had pulled away from him and he had to look up to see what she was doing. "Should I stop? I, I mean, did I do something wrong?"

It had been such a long time since Spencer had blushed over something that he had almost forgotten that she had the tendency to get embarrassed when it came to her inexperience. "No! No," he repeated in a quieter voice. "I mean unless you want to stop." All of the sudden, it felt like they were back at the beginning of the summer, still slightly awkward and learning the ways of each others' bodies.

Uncertainty clouded her eyes and he could see her reverting back to her habit of avoiding his gaze. "Spencer, look at me." At least he could be reassured by the fact that she listened to him. "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything."

"I don't." Despite her lack of experience when it came to that particular subject, her voice still held it's normal undercurrent of confidence. "I just…" Her words faltered as she tried to finish her statement. "I just want to make sure it's right."

Like there was anyway she could be wrong. "It will be. I assure you that whatever you do will be more than right." In the back of his mind, he felt slightly guilty about urging her on, not trying to talk her out of it. But then he remembered the combination of what it had felt like to actually be inside of her mouth and the fact that once Spencer set her mind to something, there was no way it wouldn't happen. Between the two, there wasn't much that could have stopped them.

Without warning, he could feel her hot breath on him again and then her tongue was flicking across his tip while her hand tightened at his base. This was definitely a position he had never expected to see her in. Unlike the first time, he slowly let hands go to the back of her head, making sure to be gentle as she took him completely into her mouth.

It took her a minute or two, but eventually she had established a rhythm, her head bobbing over him as her hand periodically twisted around him. It was almost too much for him to comprehend all at once. Trying to keep himself from pushing her head, he kept his hands moving, constantly roaming over the skin of her back, the edges of her shoulder blades.

For never having done something like that before, she knew how to use her tongue. Not only that, but she was also flawless at using her teeth lightly enough at just the right moment every now and then. Every so often, she would hum against him, the vibrations giving him another sensation completely. One that was driving him crazy.

In the end, it was over much to soon for his liking, although he really had no one to blame for that but himself. If only he had taken care of it before going to sleep, he probably would have been able to hold out longer. But then he could feel himself against the back of her throat and she didn't even try to pull away before he was pushed over the edge.

Afterwards, she sat back on her heels and looked down at him, with a self satisfied smirk and only a hint of pink in her cheeks. "Was that…?"

Wren blew out his breath and let his head fall back onto the bed. Laughing, he shook his head in disbelief. "That was…" He shook his head again, finding her wrist and pulling her towards him until she laying against the side of his body. "You never cease to amaze me." He turned his head, seeing her remaining uncertainty and squeezing her hand. "How long have you had that planned?"

Biting her lip, Spencer looked away and shrugged. "I don't know. Awhile?"

Of course she had had it planned. Probably since long before he had gotten back from work. Probably for days, if he knew her. Had she known how incredibly hot he would find it? Probably not to the fullest extent. His mind was effectively shaken from what she had done to him.

Later, she laid on top on him, their heads at the wrong end of the bed as he drifted between being awake and asleep. "Why are you with me?" she uttered softly against his face, her fingers running through his hair slowly. Her skin was sweaty and sticky against his, their chests pressed together as their breathing finally returned to normal. From the position of his hand on the back of her neck, he could feel a knot in her hair that he played with. Laying underneath of her, his other hand traced up and down the length of her back, running over the ups and downs of her spine.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you like me?"

It seemed like a loaded question, yet not. What wasn't there to like? He found nothing about her unappealing. But that wasn't an answer she would accept and he knew it. "Because you let me see you naked whenever I want," he joked, trying to pull her tighter and hoping she would accept his humor. Instead of letting him, though, she pulled away, staring into his eyes. Of course it wouldn't be so easy.

"I'm serious." And she was. He could see it in the set of her face, the straight lines of her mouth, the V shaped wrinkle between her eyebrows. The look was the complete opposite of her face just moments before. "What makes you want to be with me?"

Wren hesitated, unsure about what kind of answer she was looking for. Finally, he said, "Everything," already knowing that it wouldn't be enough for her again. From the expectant look on her face, he knew that he had been right in that assumption.

"Your obsessive need to win." Blurting out the first thing that had popped into his head only earned him a confused look. "Your voice. The noises you make when we're together." Struggling to keep his mind out of the gutter, he continued, hoping something he said would make her happy. "You're habit of being the least selfish person I know. How you take up the bed when we sleep together. The fact that you've gone through unimaginable things but still manage to hold yourself together."

Seeing that she was about to object, he quickly held a finger up to her mouth to silence her. "I'm with you because when I watch you do your homework, I am enthralled by the look on your face. I've never seen such determination in someone before. There's nothing that makes me feel like you do. There are so many things about you that captivate me. The way your skin is always so soft. Your tan lines." His fingers ran over the thin pale line going from her ribcage to her back. "Your eyes."

"This ticklish spot on your side. Your laugh. The need you have to make your parents proud, even though you would never admit it. The way you say my name when you come. The way your chest gets flushed when we kiss." The grip he had at the base of her neck tightened slightly. "Your hair. I've always enjoyed your hair. And how good you are with the baby, even if he does scare you. The fact that you were able to fix things with your sister after everything that's gone on."

Spencer's face had softened, and Wren almost sighed in relief. Almost. He was on too much of a roll to interrupt himself. "I envy the way you are so unapologetically you. And how you're normally so serious. You never laugh unless you truly find something funny. And did I mention your voice? I never knew I could be turned on by someone's voice until I met you."

Before he could go on, Spencer's lips were against his, effectively silencing him. Apparently he had said something right. Her legs tightened around him, signaling the fact that things were about to get serious yet again. Thankfully, stamina was something neither of them lacked.

Knowing that their position was quickly going to lead to something more, he decided to go with the nagging that was in the back of his mind first. "Where did that come from?" he muttered as she sucked on his pulse point. Immediately, he actions slowed and he felt her give him a small shrug.

"I don't know," she eventually answered, pulling back to look at him. "I guess I sometimes feel like I don't really deserve this." Wren was astounded, unable to comprehend the fact that she could ever believe something like that.

"Don't think that way," came his response not long after. "If anything, I'm the one who doesn't deserve you."

"Don't think that way," she echoed, her eyes suddenly taking on a sad look. "Can we just deserve each other?"

Wren was all for the compromise, but also completely caught off guard that Spencer had been the one to suggest it. Something about the entire conversation seemed off to him. And she still seemed melancholy, even though she had turned her face to lay it against his chest.

"And what brought on your sudden need to…explore new things?" he asked teasingly, wondering if he would get a serious response or an equally playful one.

Spencer at least smiled as she shrugged again and lifted her head. "I don't know…" Her eyes were dark as they looked down at him. "Maybe I just wanted to return the favor. All the favors." Wren blinked. He had never considered anything he did to her a favor. It had always felt like it was just as much for him as it was for her. There was nothing he liked more than to see her wiggling with pleasure because of something he was doing to her.

Before he could say anything, Spencer placed her hands on his chest and leaned closer to his face. "Can we talk about this later?" she questioned softly, opening her mouth to kiss him. Did she have any idea of the effect she had over him? She had to. She had started the conversation knowing that she could stop it at any time.

Their kissing became deeper, more fervent as she rocked against him. They were going to have sex, for the first time that night even though they had been in that bed for hours. When had so much time passed?

Sucking on his bottom lip, Spencer slid over him, down his body until he was inside of her and then they were both frozen in the moment. It was always different when she was on top, somehow more intense then their normal encounters. The view from below her cut off any chance he had of joking around with her and she was much too solemn when she was in the lead to be concerned with such things. It wasn't second nature to her as it was to him.

His hands settled on the back of her legs, urging her closer, forcing her to let him be completely surrounded by her. Their moans mimicked one another, and as she rolled her hips, Wren thrust up shallowly, eliciting a soft cry from her mouth.

Her eyes were closed as she began to quicken her pace. Her hair hung in loose curls, framing her face in a way that mirrored their slight franticness. How had he ever lived without this, without her? It felt as though there was something between them, holding them together, something that would never allow them to separate.

The dependency he felt for her scared him. It terrified him to feel such deep emotions for someone who could very well grow older and change her mind. She was someone who had a million other life experiences to go through that he had already gotten past. They were things that she would have to do on her own, things that could show her how unlikely it was that their situation would be one that turned out with a happy ending.

Would she still want to be with him when she went to college, when she was faced with the first frat party, when they lived hundreds of miles away from each other? Would she still be satisfied by being with him after she talked to all the other boys she was bound to meet? The ones living in her dorm, going to her classes, hitting on her all the time, as he was so sure they would. Would she still have time for him when he wasn't the only she had to depend on?

"Wren."His name was half moaned, half whined as it fell from her mouth, telling him she was almost there. The way she said it told him that he was doing everything right. His hands pressed harder against her bottom once more, showing her how desperately he needed her to be closer to him, how close he had somehow gotten while lost in the depth of his questions.

Again, she stumbled to produce his name. "Wren." Shaking her head slightly, mostly to clear her hair from her face, he reached up, pulling her hand into his and pulling it down to the bed next to him. "I'm, I'm..." He knew. God did he know. More than anything else, he knew how to read her, from the looks that crossed her face to the tones of her voice. And right then, he knew that it would be take a little bit more before she was gone.

"Please.." Another whimpered word and then his mouth found hers. Her lips were desperate and searching, and Wren felt the tell tale shudder run through her body as she cried out over him. The feel of her clenching around was just enough to push him over the edge, and then he was gripping her hand tightly and finishing right behind her. He loved when they came so close together.

Taking the time to calm back down, their positions settled back to where they had started. The mood had lightened considerably between them, enough that Wren could barely feel a trace of the gravity that had surrounded her before.

"I'm hungry," she declared some time later, curling into his side and throwing her leg over one of his after a couple of minutes.

"Is there something in particular you're in the mood for?" Wren was both amazing and amused by the amounts of food Spencer could consume. Any opportunity he had to feed her, he took. He had no idea where someone to tiny put that much food.

Glancing down at her, he saw a look of concentration on her face. She always did have a hard time deciding what she was in the mood for. "Ice cream," she stated decisively.

"Really?" Of all the things there were to eat, she chose that. "Are you sure?"

Bobbing her head, she grinned. "Would I joke around about ice cream? You don't even have to go anywhere. There's some in the freezer downstairs." Of course there was. Obviously she had been planning on asking him for awhile. "Are you okay with that?"

"Sure, sure," he responded. "As long as you promise to eat something better for breakfast tomorrow. And lunch. And dinner." Spencer had a tendency to eat weird meals, something he had been trying to fix without much progress.

Rolling her eyes, she nodded. "Fine. But you have to go get it now."

Wren was tempted to roll his eyes right back at her but then restrained himself. That was one habit he never wanted to catch himself with. He took a deep breath and rolled away from her, standing up and stretching. It felt like they had been in bed for hours. His eyes caught the clock on her bedside table and he shook his head slightly. That was because they had. It was already after midnight. "I'll be right back," he told her over his shoulder as he left the room.

Wren bounded down the steps, taking two at a time and making his way towards the kitchen. Opening the freezer, he surveyed the contents. "Would you rather mint chocolate chip or strawberry?" he yelled up to her.

"Is that even a question?" came her response almost instantly.

Grabbing the mint chocolate chip, he moved to grab two bowls and a spoon before turning to go back upstair. And then he froze. Melissa was standing by the counter, arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face. Behind her, the side door had been left slightly ajar.

"Melissa," he managed to stutter out, his mind scrambling for an excuse.

"Wren," she answered, her tone just as blank as her face. "What are you doing here?"

Scrambling to come up with an excuse Wren's mouth opened and then closed again. There was no excuse. He was in the middle of their kitchen, dressed only in his boxers, with a half gallon of ice cream and enough things for two people. He was there because he's been sleeping with her little sister and she had made him go down stairs and get her a snack. Something told him Melissa wouldn't appreciate the honestly.

In the end, he didn't have to come up with an excuse. Melissa just scowled and shook her head, biting out the words she spoke. "Are you crazy? I cannot believe the two of you. Especially you. You do realize she's seventeen right?"

Wren shifted uncomfortably. That thought crossed his mind everyday, every time he saw Spencer. The age gap between them was the elephant in the room, something that they thought if they ignored, it wasn't really there.

"It's not what it looks like," he said quietly, praying to god that Melissa wouldn't ask details. It was exactly what it looked like.

"So you're not screwing my sister then?"

"I…" He was. He was. He really, really was.

"I should have known. Of course Spencer can only be happy when she's taking something of mine. This is so typical. And you. You disgust me." One of the things Wren had always hated about Melissa was her ability to make him feel like he was two inches tall.

"You know, I really hoped that Spencer was past acting like a jealous teenager. I really did. But apparently she's the same as she's always been. Jealous and immature. I don't know why I'm so surprised." Her face was rigid and unforgiving. When they had been dating, he had never once actually won a fight with her. And he wasn't about to try. "You two deserve each other."

Wasn't that what Spencer had said to him not long before? But that time it had carried such a different meaning. It had meant that they were supposed to be together, that they were right by being with one another. When Melissa said it, however, it just made him feel dirty.

"Wren?" His head snapped up to the stairs, unable to decide if he would prefer Spencer to come downstairs right then or stay where she was. "What's taking you so long? Did you get lost?" At least someone was still in the joking mood in that house.

Melissa's eyes bore into him as she waited for him to answer. Finally, his gaze slid from her infuriated face to the stairs. "Sorry. I just got distracted. I'll be right up." The look on Melissa's face was enough to show him exactly what she thought of their interaction.

For another second, they stared at each other. "Melissa, I know what I did to you was unforgivable, but I assure you that I never meant to feel what I do for Spencer. I never meant to hurt you."

Shaking her head, he could feel the contempt radiating away from her and towards him. "You're being serious. You actually think I care about what you say you feel for her?" The fact was that Melissa was much too proud to ever admit being hurt by him. "Are you in love with her or something?"

Wren froze. Was he? Yes, no, maybe. Of course he was. Hadn't he been for months now? "Whatever. I don't care. Nothing I say is going to change either of your minds. I know both of you well enough to know that."

Turning away from him, she went to leave, but he stopped her before she could get very far.

"I know I'm in no position to ask anything of you, but how did you find out about…?" For a moment, Wren was sure she wasn't going to answer. Why would she? It was the fact that the pictures were suddenly weighing down his mind. Were they the reason Melissa had gotten home early? It looked like he was never going to find out from the silence on her end. But then she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out when I came upstairs and heard the two of you…" Unable to finish her statement, she looked like she was going to be sick. "I knew she was seeing someone but she wouldn't tell me who. I can see why now." Her last sentence was muttered more to herself than Wren. "I came back early because Taylor was running a fever and I wanted you to just take a look at him to make sure he was okay. We hit traffic and Spencer wasn't picking up her phone so I stopped here to see if she was okay." The pain was finally beginning to creep into her voice.

"Melissa…" What could he possible say to make things right again. "I could still…"

Melissa cut him off. "No. I don't want you anywhere near him. Either of you."

The only thing he could think to do was nod. There was nothing he could say right then that would make her change her mind. Where was the baby anyway? His eyes settled on the baby monitor in Melissa's left hand. He was probably in the barn, then.

"If you change your mind…"

"I won't." Melissa looked like she wanted to say something more but didn't. Again, she shook her head and turned around. "And you can tell Spencer to not bothering calling me. I don't want anything to do with her."

With that, she was out the door, leaving Wren standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room, unsure about what to do. So Melissa didn't seem to know about the pictures, but she was very much aware of what was going on between him and Spencer. And he was sure there was going to be hell to pay because of it.

"Hey." Spencer stood on the second to last stair, smiling at him. The only thing she was wearing was one of his shirts with just two of the buttons done. If she had come down just one minute earlier, things could have been so much worse. "What's taking you do long?"

He glanced toward the side door and hesitated. There was a ver large chance that Spencer was going to freak out when she found out Melissa had been there and knew about them being together. But there was no way he could keep something like that from her.

"Uh,' he stalled, frustrated with his inability to be eloquent about the situation. "Your sister just left."

* * *

**A/N: I should be updating pretty soon, within this coming week probably. As always, reviews will make the new chapter get posted sooner!**


	17. The Unexpected

**A/N: School is crazy. Life is crazy. But at least I'm finally getting the chance to update. Obviously, I don't own Pretty Little Liars and the second member of the A team isn't the same in this story. **

* * *

Somewhere along the line, something had gone wrong. Something had gone so terribly wrong that it left Spencer's head reeling. And when Spencer got thrown for a loop, she tended to make bad decisions.

It was all because of Melissa. Or at least that was what she irrationally tried to tell herself. Wren's slightly panicked expression and shocked declaration had been the first thing to catch her off guard. "Your sister just left." The only thing that would have been worse to hear coming out a Wren's mouth was if he had said 'father' instead of 'sister.'

The first thing she had thought to do was freak out. Because if Melissa knew about them, then it wouldn't be long until her parents knew as well. Even if they hadn't been close for the majority of their lives, Spencer knew that there was a good chance Melissa was already on the phone to their mom, telling her sob story and making Spencer out to be the bad guy.

After a good minute of not answering Wren, something she was sure was freaking him out, she sighed. "It had to happen eventually." Even as the words left her mouth, she was startled by her sudden change of attitude. From the look on Wren's face, he was too. "It's a lot sooner than I had planned but… Maybe it's better to have it over with now."

Waiting for Wren to answer, Spencer realized that she actually believed what she was saying. The longer she kept this a secret, the longer she would pay the price. And they had already racked up over two months of seeing one another without anyone knowing.

"So you're not going to try and talk to her?"

Spencer shook her head. "Right now, it would be pointless. I know how she gets when she's upset about something and if I try to talk to her now, it'll just end with us getting into an argument." There was no question about that; they both had been on the receiving end of Melissa's spite.

"So now we just do nothing?"

Briefly, Spencer panicked again. The thought of Melissa knowing that it had been Wren she was seeing for all that time made her heart race. And not in a good way. But then she looked at Wren, taking in his mostly undressed state, the ice cream on the counter next to him, and she sighed.

"No. Now we're going to go upstairs and get back in bed and not worry about this. Melissa knows about us. It happened, we can't take it back now. I'll just deal with whatever happens later."

"We'll."

Spencer's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What?"

"We'll deal with the consequences. You don't have to do it alone." Spencer was used to doing things alone. Her entire life, she had been a more solitary person than social. She liked to do homework alone, she preferred to eat alone, she'd rather face her family alone. But the thought of Wren willing to go against them when she knew how nervous they made him made her realize she didn't want to do this alone. If it was him, she would take the company over being by herself any day.

"I know," she whispered. "Can we just go back upstairs and pretend like this didn't happen? We'll worry about it in the morning." When had she turned into a person who worried about things in the morning? There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Wren was changing her, making her look at things differently. Toby hadn't changed her. He had made her feel safe and happy, but he had never changed her. She was still trying to decide if she was okay with the way Wren had such an influence over her.

Lost in her thoughts, she had missed the moment when Wren gathered all the stuff he had collected from the kitchen and walked towards her. "Let's go," he said quietly, nudging her towards the stairs and suddenly making her aware that this wasn't going to last for much longer.

One day. Those two words bounced around in her skull, plaguing her until the next morning, long after Wren had left. One day. That was how much time she had left before her parents came home in a whirlwind of business and plans, and replaced all of the peace and contentment that had been there with Wren.

Still, she did her best to push it out of her mind. And the first thing she planned on doing that day to get herself out of the house and away from the impending return of her parents was to go see Aria and Hanna. They had planned a girl's day, Spencer's first of the summer even though it was almost fall.

The first thing she saw when she walked into Aria's room was Hanna, no pants on and two skirts held up in front of her. "Which one do you like better?"

Spencer glanced between the two, surprised Hanna was even asking her opinion. While the blond had never openly criticized the way she dressed, she had also never gone out of her way to compliment Spencer either. Without really thinking, Spencer pointed to the one Hanna had in her left hand and watched as she analyzed it for a second before tossing it onto the bed and stepping into the other one.

"Hey," Aria called from the bed. Spencer smiled but didn't say anything as she watch Hanna looking at herself in the mirror. "How are things between you and Wren going?" The shorter girl wasn't wasting anytime in getting into the more serious stuff.

Spencer blushed, still not used to someone being so open about her relationship. But it was Aria, who knew everything about her and had for years. "They're going."

Aria's eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah?"

Nodding, Spencer couldn't fight back her smile. "They're great." Shrugging, she shook her head. "It's good."

"So descriptive," Hanna muttered, now trying to choose between two shirts. Aria and Spencer looked at each other and grinned. Typical Hanna.

"What are you trying to find an outfit for?" Spencer asked, setting her bag on the floor and flopping onto the bed besides Aria.

The blond's eyes were narrowed at her own reflection, looking at her choices like they could be the cure to cancer. She was so distracted, she didn't answer Spencer, but thankfully Aria stepped in for her.

"Caleb's taking her out."

"Is something going on?"

Hanna shook her head. "No. He just said he wanted to take me out for the night. But he won't tell me where we're going." Flinging the shirts back onto the bed, she huffed. "Your clothes all look weird on me. You need to grow three more inches."

Aria looked at Spencer with a hint of annoyance and then rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure to get on that."

"Anyone wanna go shopping? I need a dress."

"I thought you didn't want to wear a dress," Aria answered.

"I changed my mind. Can we go or not?"

Aria's mouth was open, and Spencer couldn't help but laugh at their interactions. "We were supposed to hang out today. What happened to planning something for when Emily gets home?"

Spencer sat up. "Emily's coming home?"

Ignoring her, Hanna rolled her eyes. "We can hang out and plan something. We're just relocating to the mall."

"No! You said we could watch movies and relax all day. Going shopping with you isn't relaxing."

"When is Emily coming home?' Spencer tried to ask again.

"Please. It won't even take that long. We can watch a movie when we get back."

It was Aria's turn to roll her eyes. "It won't take that long? If we left right now, we probably wouldn't get home until after dark."

"That's not true."

'It is."

"No, it's not!"

Before Aria could respond, Spencer intervened. "Hey! Can you two stop fighting for a minute and answer my question?" The other girls stared at her, obviously having missing anything Spencer had said. "When is Emily coming home?"

"Wednesday," Hanna answered, looking a little miffed, either because of her and Aria's bickering or Spencer's interruption.

"And we're doing something where we need to dress up?"

Hanna shrugged and glanced at Aria. The shorter girl cut in. "We figured we'd just take her out to dinner, you know? Just the four of us so we can talk and see how things have been."

"You want to know if A's been bothering her again," Spencer responded flatly. Of course that would be the first thing they were concerned about. She, on the other hand, cared more about whether Emily had herself together or not. The fallout from losing Maya could very well still be wreaking it's havoc on Emily's mind.

Both Hanna and Aria didn't answer her this time, instead looking anywhere but at Spencer. The way they had gotten caught up in the same thing made her angry. Why couldn't they just have normal lives like normal teenagers?

The silence in the room quickly grew to be too much and before she could stop herself, Spencer blurted out the first thing she could think of. "Melissa found out about Wren and me." When had she decided to start talking about her sister instead of Emily?

Instantly, Aria and Hanna's eyes were on Spencer. "What?" Hanna said.

Right away, Aria said, "How?"

Shrugging, Spencer hesitated. How had she found out? She'd been spending so much time trying to pretend like Melissa knowing didn't scare her that she hadn't thought of that. She didn't want Wren to worry about her, or think that it was his fault that she was was feeling that way. But she was scared, almost terrified, of how Melissa was going to use the information against her.

"I don't know. She was supposed to be away with my parents but then she came home early and Wren was there. I didn't actually see her but Wren did. And apparently now she wants nothing to do with me so I'm sure it won't be long until my parents find out. And then kill me."

The panic was beginning to creep back in. Standing up to her parents, mainly her father, gave her an anxious feeling. It wasn't like she had never done it before, but she had never done it easily. She constantly had to remind herself that she didn't need their approval, not the way she once had, but from time to time the need for them to remain proud of her surfaced in the back of her mind.

Aria immediately sat up and looked at her. "You're really going to go through with this."

Spencer nodded. "Why are you acting so surprised? You went through with it."

Aria's glanced way and shrugged. "I know. But your parents…" Spencer knew what she was trying to say. Their parents were different. However bad it had been when Aria told her secret about Mr. Fitz, the explosion would be ten times worse when Spencer's parents found out about Wren.

"It'll be fine, Spence. Maybe they won't even care. I mean, it's been almost a year since things ended with Melissa."

If there was one thing Spencer hated, it was when people brought up that Wren had ever been with Melissa. The engagement was something she had been pretty successful at blocking from her memory. Until people reminded her, anyway. That was one of the reasons she had liked keeping their relationship a secret in the first place.

"Somehow I don't think they're going to have forgotten," Spencer muttered. "But I'd rather not talk about it. I don't even know why I brought it up."

Aria and Hanna exchanged a reluctant look, making Spencer roll her eyes. Of course they were still acting like the same person when they had just been fighting like an old married couple not two minutes before.

"When do your parents get home? Do you and Wren have any plans before they do?"

Aria's question was clearly meant to distract her. "They're going to be home early tomorrow morning. And not really. I think we're going to the movies tonight."

"The movies?" Hanna's tone was incredulous. "Why would you even leave the house when you know it's going to be the last chance you get to be alone?" Her implications made Spencer's face heat up. She was really going to have to work on not getting embarrassed when people brought up sex. Or her having sex at least.

"You do realize he has his own place right? That's where we've spend a majority of our time this summer."

"In bed, I'm sure."

"Not just the bed." Spencer's eyes widened as soon as the words left her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that. Giving Hanna any more information than she already had was dangerous.

"Spencer!" Hanna had a huge grin on her face and Aria was obviously trying not to laugh.

"I didn't mean to say that."

The blonde ignored her statement. "I guess we know someone's not so boring in bed. Or anywhere else."

Rolling her eyes, Spencer fiddled with the watch on her wrist. If Spencer was the kind of person to share details of her sex life, Hanna would know exactly how boring they weren't.

"So why the movies?" Aria questioned, obviously trying to change the subject.

Spencer shrugged. "It's just something we did on our first date." Or fifth. But that was something she didn't feel like explaining to her two friends.

"That's cute," Hanna muttered, her eyes back on the discarded skirts laying on Aria's bed. "Is he going to spend the night then?"

Yes, yes, yes. Spencer wouldn't have it any other way. "I think so." Not that she wanted Hanna to know how eager she was to have him to herself in her very own room one last time. "Why?"

The blonde shrugged. "I was just thinking you guys could stay at my house one night soon so we could plan something for Em." Both Aria and Spencer nodded at her suggestion, although Spencer surely wasn't going to volunteer to change her plans, even if she had talked to Hanna about splitting her time more evenly. "Obviously not tonight though," she added, glancing over at Spencer with a smirk.

"I can't tomorrow night either," Aria interjected. "And if one of my parents asks, I'm spending the night at your house, Hanna." The blonde nodded, already used to being an alibi.

"Night after that?" Spencer and Aria exchanged a glance, and then both nodded at Hanna. As soon as they had agreed on it, Spencer actually began to get excited. They actually had plans to hang out like they used to, before finding out Mona was a psychotic bitch, and pretend like their lives were normal.

She also found herself getting more and more excited to see Emily too. It had been almost three months of not seeing or talking to her, and Spencer wanted a chance to apologize in person. Not that Emily cared, she was sure. If she knew her tan friend, she was positive that the other girl was probably still reeling over Maya'd death. Hopefully, a night of the four of them would be just the thing to help her start moving on and begin senior year on the right foot.

From across the room, Hanna sighed. "So, mall anyone?"

* * *

Later on that night, Spencer laid wrapped around Wren's body, her fingers rubbing gently over the skin of his neck. "I'm going to miss this," she whispered, peeking up at him with a sad smile.

"There's always my house," he answered softly, eyes darting down to her lips.

Spencer just shook her head, not able to put into words the feeling that she hadn't been talking about them staying at her house. Although that had been nice. "I like having you here, in my room. It makes this feel a lot more real."

"It is real." Wren laughed. "And it reminds me of the first time we kissed. Do you remember?" Spencer rolled her eyes at his question. She was surprised he would ask her something like that.

"Of course I remember," she said, trying to act offended. "How could I not?"

Shaking his head, Wren poked her side gently. "If only I had known what I was getting myself into that night."

Spencer scoffed. "What? What would you have done? Not kissed me?"

"I don't think that was ever an option." His eyes looked down at her lips again before darting back up to her eyes. "What time should I go?" he asked quietly.

Unconsciously, she tightened her hold on him. "Not for awhile. They shouldn't be back until 7. I would leave at 6 just to be sure."

Wren nodded, rolling on top of her and brushing his lips over hers. "That means we have five whole hours, all to ourselves before we have to move this back to my house."

Laughing, Spencer turned her head away from his jokingly. "You'll have to feed me before we do anything else." Right away, Wren's eyebrows shot up.

"It's one in the morning. How are you always hungry?"

Shrugging again, Spencer grinned. "You tired me out."

Instead of answering, Wren just shook his head and kissed her again. "Can I tire you out some more and then get you something to eat?"

Spencer pretended to think it over, knowing he would see right through her pretend indecision. "I guess I could wait a little longer."

"Good," he muttered into her ear, instantly making her notice the change in his voice. Why did she still get so surprised when he wanted her the same way he had since the beginning? Quickly pushing the thought out of her head, she grinned up at him.

"5 hours left," she said, knowing they would take full advantage of the time.

* * *

Her parents arriving home went both better and worse than she had anticipated. Thankfully, they didn't seem to have any clue about what was going on with Wren. But at the same time, her dad wanted to know every detail of her classes at Hollis, from the grades she got to how many questions she answered on average per class. Some things would never change.

Since she had stayed up practically all night, Spencer had been lethargic all day, letting her parents drag her around to the club and then to play doubles with one of her dad's clients. For the first time, it irritated her that her mother refused to play anymore, leaving her to be her father's only option of a teammate.

On top of all that, it was hot. It was hot and the air was sticky and all Spencer wanted to do was be in the air conditioning or in the pool. Of course, either one only would have made her feel better it Wren was there as well. Preferably naked But she knew he was at the hospital, getting in a long shift even though he had to be just as tired as she was from the night before.

After the club came shopping, which her mother insisted upon after seeing her daughter actually trying to leave the house in jean shorts and a wife beater. That was something she may have gotten away with when she was home alone, but it had quickly come to an end with her mother there. Again, she couldn't say that it was a completely bad trip. It only took about four hours and she needed clothes for the start of school in the fall anyway. But it also gave her mother an opportunity to talk to her.

"So Melissa tells me you've been seeing someone?"

Every part of Spencer's body froze at the rack she was looking at. Had she been wrong in assuming her parents knew nothing? They were both lawyers and definitely would not let her get away with it so easily if they knew something was going on between her and a boy.

"What makes you say that?" she answered nervously, praying to anything that would listen that her mother was still in the dark.

"Spencer, I'm not stupid. I was a teenager once. I've noticed that you've been spending a lot of time away from the house, and Hanna and Aria never seem to be around anymore. So I asked Melissa and she just told me that you've been seeing someone."

Spencer blew out a breath of relief. It seemed like she was safe.

"How come you haven't told anyone?"

And then she was frozen again. Why had she never come up with a cover about who she was seeing. Oh, right. Because she was supposed to be telling the truth. But right than, in the middle of a department store with her mother whom she hadn't seen in over a week and a half, she just couldn't bring herself to disrupt the peace.

"We weren't really sure how serious it was, I guess." Her voice was cautious, and she knew her mother could hear the way her tone was guarded.

"Okay," the older woman finally said, going to a new rack and flicking through it. "Just make sure you're careful. We can't have any more surprise pregnancies right now."

And just like that Spencer wanted a giant hole to appear so she could disappear into it. Her entire face flushed, from tips of her ears to her neck. Why was it so difficult to accept that people knew she was having sex?

"It's no reason to get embarrassed," her mother barked, pulling two tops off the rack. "If you're having sex, you should be able to talk about it without getting embarrassed." She placed one of the shirts back, and then added the other to the growing pile on her arm. "Like I said before, I was seventeen once too."

If she had wanted to disappear before, there were no words to describe how she felt after her mother alluding her to her teenage sex life. "Just don't tell your father. He would only overreact if he knew." Saying things like that was the only reason Spencer felt remotely comfortable around her mother. She knew how Peter Hastings was, knew how he led his life, both business and personal. And if she said not to let him find out Spencer was having sex, Spencer was most definitely going to do just that. Not that she would have told him anyway.

"Here," her mother said, shoving some clothes into Spencer's arm. "Go try those on."

The rest of the shopping trip went okay, if not almost excruciatingly slow. Finally, Spencer got her mother to leave, only after insisting she had a lot of things to work on for her classes before the summer session started. As soon as they got home, she locked herself in her room, falling asleep and not waking until 10 that night. Of course, then she couldn't fall back asleep, even though she found herself still laying in bed four hours later.

Sighing in frustration, Spencer rolled over roughly and pulled her pillow over her head. All at once, the silence of the room was muffled, but not enough to block out the dull vibration of her phone on her bedside table. Toying with the idea of not checking it, she finally sighed again, sitting up on her knees and grabbing the phone off her bedside table. Wren's name was on the screen.

**How are things with your parents?**

He was wondering if she had told them. But he had to know that she would have told him right away if she had done it.

**Alright. We had a long day. I ended up shopping with my mother for hours. I don't think Melissa told them yet but I'm nervous for when she does.**

No more than a minute could have gone before he answered.

**Can I take your mind off it?**

Biting her lip, Spencer shook her head. There was no way she was going to chance leaving her house, especially with the impending explosion that was going to occur when her parents found out about her and Wren. When they did finally know, she didn't want them connecting the dots between nights she left the house after they had gone to sleep and mornings she wasn't in her bed.

**I can't get out right now. I don't want to risk my parents finding out.**

But she wanted to go to him. She wanted it so badly that she ached. Maybe she could risk it.

**Go to your side door.**

Her heart leapt. Could he actually be there, right then, at her house? Was he crazy? Sneaking him in was something she could never do. Could she? Rereading the text quickly, she shook her head, biting her lip. She could.

The trek downstairs was slow and quiet, although she was extremely thankful that none of the stairs creaked in her house. By the time she made it to the kitchen, her heart was racing, although she wasn't sure if it was more from the wariness of getting caught or the fact that Wren was right outside the door.

"Wren?" Her voice was impossibly quiet, her gaze peering into the darkness as she looked for him. Suddenly, a hand shot out and grasped her wrist, yanking her outside and immediately pulling her close to his body. As a reflex, she gasped, but the noise was quickly silenced by his lips pressed against hers.

She kissed him back, eager and all at once aware of just how badly she had missed him. That morning already felt like a lifetime ago. "What are you doing here?" she whispered as soon as he pulled back.

Even in the dim light, Wren still looked managed to look bashful. "I knew you would probably be tense after today. I thought maybe I could help you out."

Her eyebrows shot up at the sexual innuendo, everything that had been bothering her instantly disappearing from her mind. Her lips parted and she knew she had to tell him that it wasn't even remotely possible, but then something stopped her. She couldn't say no to him. She would try, but she already knew that it wasn't going to happen.

"My parents…" She glanced over her shoulder, actually the smallest bit scared that one of her parents would be standing there. If it was her dad, there may very well be a gun in his hand. But thankfully the kitchen was empty, nothing having changed in the few moments they had been there.

Wren's hips pitched into hers, his hands sliding over her sides and down her backside. There was no way in hell that she was going to resist him. "We'll be quiet." The words filtered into her ear, the message loud and clear in her brain.

It was disappointing that she was about to break with such little fight. But at least she wouldn't be disappointed later. "Come on." Her fingertips managed to capture his, leading him lightly into the house.

Inside, everything sounded much louder than it actually was. Their footsteps seemed to echo off the walls, even though they were both tip toeing across the room. Was that a door she heard opening upstairs? Her heart hammered, the journey to her room feeling so much longer than when she had gone to meet him.

Finally, they were crossing through the threshold and he was shutting the door behind him and then he was pushing her back onto the hard surface, the doorknob digging into her lower back. Not that she was about to protest.

"I can't believe you're here right now," she murmured against his mouth, her lips open and searching for his. Their tongues met lightly as his hands slid down, gripping her hips and lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

Using his body to pin her to the wall, his hand soon found it's way under her shirt, grasping and groping at the skin there and causing her to pant. The need for her to be quiet was already beginning to conflict with her urge to moan and they hadn't even actually done anything yet.

Reminding herself that her parents were sleeping not twenty feet from where they were, she bit down on his neck when his fingers found her breast. She exhaled deeply and squeezed her eyes shut. This was going to be harder than she thought.

The first thing they needed to do was get away from the door if she had any hope of keeping it down.

Before moving, she reached blindly behind her, finding the lock and turning it. At least if one of her parents heard them, they wouldn't be able to walk in on them as well. "Bed. Now," she demanded in a low voice.

And just like that he was spinning her around and dropping her onto the bed, causing her to giggle. His body quickly followed, pinning her down with his weight. For awhile they kissed. And kissed. And kissed some more. At least if they were just kissing they had a better chance of keeping the volume down.

But eventually her hands wandered to his shirt, his pants, wondering why there were so many things blocking her from where she wanted to be. "Off. Now." She placed her hands against his chest and pushed, hoping he would get the idea. From the way he stood up immediately and pulled his shirt over his head, she knew he got the message loud and clear.

Mirroring his action, her shirt landed on the floor next to the bed, quickly followed by her underwear. And then he was back on top of her, his hands everywhere and his mouth attached to hers once more.

"This has to be fast."

"It will be," he answered, the sincerity in his voice mimicking the need he had for her in his eyes. Of course it was going to be fast. "You have to stay quiet."

"I will," she gasped, her back arching as his hand wandered down her body.

His teeth bit down on the side of her neck briefly and then his voice was in her ear, low and hushed. "Relax."

With a deep breath out, Spencer did as he asked. She hadn't even realized how tense she had become in her efforts to keep the voice down. Nodding, her head turned to the side and her shut eyes tightly and then he was right there where she needed him, pushing into her at just the right moment.

Stifling her initial moan, his mouth latched onto hers, their bodies moving together just as seamlessly as they always had.

Even with his low noises, urging her to stay quiet, the volume of her voice soon started to rise. She had never thought of herself as loud while in bed, but the risk of getting caught made her feel something new. It turned her on, and when she was turned on like that, so unexpectedly and perilously, she forgot to control herself.

"Spencer…" His voice held a warning, even as his body slowed above her.

"I know," she hissed, bucking her hips into his to try and get him to pick up the speed again. "Why are you not…?"

His head shook against her neck, and then he was moving again, this time making sure to keep his lips on hers in order to stop her from making to much noise. It was hot, the fact that they had to be quiet and secretive, although she also sorely missed the freedom they had had for the past week. It had been nice to have him staying with her instead of the other way around for once.

"Spencer…" This time when he said her voice against her mouth, she knew it had more to do with how close he was than what she was doing. It really was going to be fast. His hand found the back of her thigh, pulling her leg up, running his fingers over her skin there.

Turning her head, she bit her lip, feeling Wren sucking on the newly exposed skin of her throat. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and for once she could feel herself leaving him with scratches. Trying to stop herself, her fingers found the hair at the base of his scalp, pulling him to her face, making him kiss her again.

He wanted her as much as she wanted him. He needed her just as much as she needed him. The thoughts ran through her head again and again, even when he was beginning to lose it above her, everything about his body tightening. This was the part she loved, for more than the obvious reasons.

She loved the way everything about his body seemed to mold to her right at that moment. She loved the vulnerable quality about his voice when he said her name, usually fast and rough into her ear. She loved the way he sped up at just the right moment, knowing exactly what was needed to get them both to where they needed to be. In that moment, he made her feel things that she had never known existed.

Afterwards, they laid in silence, both spent from the combination of their two late nights. "I still can't believe you're here right now," she said in a muffled voice against his chest. "It feels surreal." The feeling of her hand pushing against the small of her back, pulling her closer into him, intensified.

"It does. But here we are. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Me either." Peeking up at him, she noticed his eyes already beginning to get drowsy. You can't stay too late like last night. If they catch you here, it's not going to be good."

Feeling his body sigh against hers, she wanted to cry at the fact that they wouldn't be able to really wake up next to one another in the morning. Sleeping alone just really didn't do it for her anymore.

"I'll stay as long as you think it's safe. I have a long shift at the hospital today anyway, so I should probably go home and get some actual rest before heading in."

"Are you saying I tire you out?" Spencer asked teasingly.

"I'm saying just that."

"Good."

They settled into a comfortable silence, the noises of Spencer's house lulling them both to sleep for the time being.

* * *

The next morning, Spencer was disoriented. She woke up alone in her bed, sprawled across the surface like there had never been anyone else there. The night before almost felt like a dream, something she had conjured up when half asleep and missing Wren. But then she saw the white piece of paper wedged underneath of her phone on the table and knew that every single second of it had been real.

Grinning, she rolled onto her side and picked up the note.

**My house tomorrow night? 7? I'll make dinner and you can be as loud as you want. **

Spencer blushed, remembering the difficulty she had found in trying to stay quiet. Shaking her head, she flopped back against her scattered pillows. What had she done before Wren? Been slightly depressed and seemed like she was losing it. There had been a lot of time spent on that damn playground before he showed up. Would she still be sitting there if it wasn't for him?

Shaking her head, Spencer sat up. It was something she didn't like to think about, the reality of how easily she could have been alone that summer. But she had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't, that she did have Wren and that had made all the difference.

Glancing at her clock again, she sighed. She had class later on that day, and she still needed to show and get ready before stopping to get coffee. It was about time she got moving.

* * *

Life had felt normal. For a little bit anyway. Things were okay between her, Hanna and Aria. Emily would be home soon. Melissa hated her. Her parents were being their normal professional selves. School was going to start soon, which always grounded Spencer. But all it took to shatter that normalcy was the familiar sound of a motorcycle driving down the street and the glimpse of an even more familiar figure riding it.

She was sitting outside of the new coffee shop in town, trying to study for her finals the next week but finding herself increasingly distracted by the night Wren was planning. At first, the noise didn't even make an impression, her eyes glued to the same line on the same page of her book that she'd been staring at for the last five minutes. As it got louder and louder, it started to register, but only as an annoyance that she could do without so she could concentrate. By the time she finally looked up, there wasn't even a thought in the back of her head that told her it could be Toby. He was gone, away working for the summer, and they hadn't even spoken since they had broken up in the spring. But sure enough, just when things had gotten normal, life had thrown something else her way in the form a blue-eyed carpenter she'd been trying to forget.

For a second, she got ready to leave. Her instincts were telling her to throw all of her things into her bag and run. But then common sense kicked in, and she sank down in her seat a little, placing her eyes back on the book in front of her, even though there was even less of a chance of her being able to concentrate then there had been before.

Her heart was pounding, and not for the reason she had gotten used to. Toby couldn't be back. He just couldn't. He needed to be in Bucks county, or wherever he had said he was going the last time, not Rosewood. But there he was, standing on the side of the street and taking his helmet off. He had gotten a haircut. Shaking her head, she forced her eyes back down to the table. When had she even started looking at him again?

Pressing a button on her phone, she sighed in frustration when she saw she still had a half an hour before she had to leave for class. Not only that, but Toby was looking at the coffee shop behind her, his eyes dangerously close to finding her. And if they did, he would see that she was staring straight at him.

Once again, she looked at her phone, mentally chastising herself for her wandering gaze. It wasn't that hard to keep herself from looking at him. But it was. Her nerves were suddenly all on edge, waiting to see if he would notice her and come talk to her. Of course, if he did see her there was no way he wouldn't come over. So she just had to bide her time until he went inside, and then make a hasty exit to her car.

Her car. He had seen her car. Because what would her life be if those kinds of things didn't happen to her. The sarcastic voice in her head warred with the panic mode that was threatening to flare up. Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes, trying to calm herself down. It was just Toby. Just Toby. She didn't particularly want to see him, to talk to him, but if she had to, it wouldn't be the end of the world. She could handle it.

She peeked up again to see that Toby was now looking around, obviously wondering if she was somewhere nearby. Sinking lower into her seat, she pulled her legs up so that her feet were resting on the chair as well, and balanced her open book on her knees. Inside of her head, her mind raced, trying to figure out what she was going to do when he talked to her. Because it looked like he had finally seen her, so there was definitely no avoiding the conversation she was about to have.

"Spencer?" And there it was. The voice that she had missed for so long. Something stirred inside of her, something reminding her that this was the voice she had been waiting all that time to hear again. Those were the eyes she had missed and the hair she had misses and the smile. She had really missed his smile.

"Toby." Her voice sounded harsh, even for her. Clearing her throat, she attempted a smile. "Hi."

"Hi." There was that smile again, something that had thawed her since the very first time it had been directed at her. "How are you?"

Spencer hesitated. How had she been? Pretty freaking fantastic until he had shown up. Or that was what it felt like, anyway.

"Good." She cleared her throat again. "Good." The conversations as awkward and they hadn't even exchanged more than pleasantries. "How are you? How's the job going?"

Toby nodded, shifting his helmet awkwardly under his arm and shrugging. "It's good… We just finished up actually."

Spencer smiled tightly. "Good. I'm glad to hear that it went well." She was beginning to detest the word 'good' and every awkward social cue it carried in their conversation. With an IQ like hers, she couldn't come up with something better to say?

"Mind if I…?" Toby gestured to the empty seat across the table from her. Once upon a time, he would have sat directly next to her, pulling himself closer to her until the arms of their chairs had overlapped.

"Yeah," she answered. "I mean no. I mean…" She wanted to punch herself in the face. "That's fine." Another stiff smile on her part and then he was sitting down across from her, looking at her with those eyes and that smile and making her every bit as flustered as he had made her in the beginning of their relationship.

"So what have you been doing?" Having lots of sex with the doctor he happened to hate when he still lived in Rosewood. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she blushed, even though he couldn't know what she was thinking.

"Did I say something…?"

Spencer shook her head vehemently. "No, no. I was just thinking about...something that happened the other day when I was with Aria. There was a chair… and a duck. And then I fell. But it wasn't really that funny. Or, you know…" Spencer trailed off, wanted to kick herself for what an idiot she sounded like. For someone who had grown so accustomed to lying, she suddenly wasn't good at it when she needed to be. A duck? Why had she said that? Why had it even crossed her mind?

"Sorry," she said hurriedly, trying to pull herself together. "I just really wasn't expecting to see you here. I sort of thought you would never set foot in Rosewood again." She watched his face intently, trying to figure out what he was feeling.

"I've been thinking about it for awhile now. Ever since I left, I've felt like there was something unfinished about this town." Her. He definitely meant her. Not that she was going to call him out on it. "So when that job wrapped up, my boss told me there was another one coming up this fall in the next town over. I figured I'd check it out, see if it was something I'd be interested in."

Her heart was still pounding. If he moved back to Rosewood, she would never be able to lose the unsettled feeling of how he had left things. "That sounds good." There was that damn word again. And the same gentle smile was settling on his face once more.

"It is. So what have you been up to? Besides falling over ducks and chairs, I mean?"

Without realizing it, Spencer smiled self-consciously, looking away at the same time.

"I've missed your smile." At his words, she froze, her body stopping at his statement. "Did you take classes this summer?" How could he say something like that and then brush past it like it meant nothing. He had to know the effect he was having over her.

"Yeah." She shook her head a little, trying to put an order to her thoughts. "I'm taking two at Hollis."

Toby nodded at her, obviously waiting for her to continue. "I figured." After a moment, he seemed to realize that she wasn't going to elaborate. "How's Emily? Is she alright since…?" Maya's death. The thought went unspoken between them. And Spencer suddenly knew that she had no good answer to give him.

"I don't know. She's been in Haiti all summer building houses with some church program her mom signed her up for."

"You haven't been talking to her?"

Spencer shook her head. "No. I mean Hanna said that they've talked a few times since she left, but other than that we've all sort of been out of touch."

"That seems unlike you guys."

"What do you mean?"

Toby laughed a little bit. "Well, you know how the four of you always were." Or the five of them. Another unspoken thought between them. "Always together, always whispering, always telling each other everything." Something in his statement reminded her of Jenna. Or reminded her of something Jenna had once said. Just then, she remembered how she had felt upon Toby's leaving, the wondering if something was going on between him and his stepsister.

"Yeah. It's been a weird summer. How is Jenna, by the way?"

Suddenly, Toby's face grew serious and he looked away. "She's…Jenna. You know how she is." His shoulders shrugged and Spencer instantly felt guilty for bringing the girl up. She also felt guilty for ever believing that Toby would let something happen between them. "I don't really want to talk about her."

Of course he didn't. Because he hated her. He wasn't friends with her or trying to be her brother or sleeping with her. He hated her and everything she had done to him.

They sat in awkward silence, both trying to avoid the other's gaze. It seemed like he was finally getting the fact that she wasn't comfortable being there with him. "I'm going to grab a coffee. Can I get you something?"

Spencer stared at his face, trying to figure out his offer. If she let him buy her something, it would be eerily reminiscent of many of the dates they had been on. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat. "No. I actually have to get going. I have class…" Lie. She still had at least twenty minutes until she usually left for Hollis.

Standing up, she reached behind her to grab her purse, when he stopped her. "Wait. Spencer. I…" The look on his face said everything she didn't want to hear. It wasn't an option for her to stand there and listen to him say everything he was about to say. But she would do it anyway, if only because it was Toby.

"I actually came here to find you. I, I made a mistake in leaving. I should have fought harder to stay here. With you. I never should have gone with my parents. I…" Once again, Spencer's heart was on overdrive, and she began to wonder if she would have a heart attack by the end of the day. "I miss you."

The words resounded in her head, making her brain hurt and her quickly beating heart hurt and pretty much every other part of her hurt. Hadn't this been what she had been waiting for since the day he left? "I missed you too," she whispered, because she had, in the beginning anyway. She had missed him so badly that it hurt just like it was hurting right then. But then Wren had shown up, and suddenly everything had felt better, just like every other time he had been around her when she was upset. "I have to go." Her statement was mumbled, as she refused to look at him.

"Wait. I know you have to go, but just let me say something." No. No, she needed to leave, needed to get away from him and clear her head and try to calm herself down. But of course she would nod at him, willing to listen to what he had to say "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I left, especially just after everything…" Everything. The word didn't even begin to encompass the events of the past two years. "I should have stayed here and protected you like I promised."

He should have. Spencer knew, deep inside herself, that if he had remained in town, they would still be together. Still be happy. But he hadn't and they weren't and that was something that both confused and scared her. Because of course, now she had Wren, who would stay there until she told him to leave.

"Would you consider…?" The beginning of the question made Spencer's heart stop, a sudden change from the racing it had been doing a moment before. He wasn't asking her to give him another chance. He wasn't, he couldn't, he wouldn't. Would he? There was no possible way she would actually consider it, would she? Except, she already was, despite everything that had happened since he left. "Meeting with me again? Tomorrow, around 4? We can meet here again if you want."

Blowing out a silent sigh of relief, Spencer paused. If she met with Toby at 4, that would give her plenty of time to get to Wren's house at 7. Two dates in the same day. The idea of it made her cringe, even as she tried to convince herself that one of them most definitely was not a date.

"We can talk about…things, then?"

It was obvious what he wanted to talk about. He wanted them to get back together. He thought he could ride back into town and everything would have stayed exactly the same, waiting for his return to keep moving forward. He expected her to be waiting for him. But what he wasn't expecting was for her to have moved on, found someone else who made her feel better, better than he ever had. He never would have guessed that she didn't need him anymore.

Those were the things she should have said. But that wasn't what actually came out of her mouth.

"Yeah. I think I'm free then." No, no, no. She wasn't free then, or ever again. Then again, for Toby, maybe she would make herself free permanently. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt disgusted with herself. How could she be so ready and willing to throw Wren by the wayside, forgetting everything he had done for her. "I'm supposed to be somewhere at 7, but I can be late if I have to."

It wasn't her talking. She would never do something like that, breaking plans with her _boyfriend_ just because an ex wanted to talk to her. She wasn't that kind of person. She wasn't. Except she already knew that she would do it if she had to, because Toby had some magnetic hold over her, forcing her to gravitate towards him whenever he was near. Something about him made it impossible for her to stay away, even though she had someone else waiting for her at home.

"Great." The look on Toby's face relayed happiness and excitement and relief. It was clear that he had been just as nervous as she was. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I don't want to make you late for class."

Right, class. That place she was supposed to leave for in ten minutes. Gathering her wits about her, she nodded, returning his grin with a small smile as she turned to go. "Yeah. I'll see you then."

With that, she turned and walked away, knowing that if she didn't, she never would.

On her way to class, the past couple of days replayed themselves in her mind, going over and over the things that had happened. Melissa knew about them but hadn't told her parents. Her parents had shattered any illusion of peace she had managed to build while they were away. Emily was coming home. She'd had sex with Wren, in her house, when they hadn't been there alone. Her mother had admitted to knowing she was having sex, though she didn't really seem to care with who as long as Spencer didn't end up pregnant. And then, Toby.

Toby. Why was she so conflicted over him? There were only two options for her, really, and either way, someone was going to get hurt. Shaking her head, she realized that somehow she had managed to make it all the way to her building. She was the first one there and the room was quiet when she entered it, going straight to the seat she normally sat in and getting settled.

As she sat there, she felt her phone vibrate from her bag. She pulled it out, pretty certain that she already knew who it was going to be. And she was right. There, on the screen was a picture of herself and Toby, sitting outside the coffee shop. Of course it showed the one second where both of them were smiling at each other, not a trace of awkwardness evident.

**I wonder what your boyfriend would say about this reunion.**

Sitting back in her seat, Spencer squeezed her eyes shut. It was going to be a long class.


	18. The Lie

**A/N: Thank god for fall break finally giving me the time/motivation to write. Also, thanks to June Sujare for her patience, as always. **

**Reviews will make me post the next chapter sooner :-)**

* * *

Never in his life had Wren been so preoccupied with a girl before. He'd had his fair share of girlfriends over the years, but none of them came close to comparing to Spencer. Something about her prevented him from thinking about anything else a large majority of the time, no matter how hard he tried.

From the moment he woke up the next morning, Spencer still breathing evenly next to him, he was already thinking about the next time he would be able to see her, be able to touch her. It couldn't come soon enough. He made it all the way into work before letting himself text her, asking if she would come over the next night, praying that she would say yes.

Of course, then he had had to wait five hours and twenty eight minutes to check for her response. Which was yes, thank god.

He would have been sorely disappointed if it had been anything else.

He had caught himself grinning at the message, the two words on the screen making his day. **Of course. **Of course she would be there. He was almost certain that she craved his presence the same way he craved hers. The rest of his time spent at the hospital was a struggle to keep his mind on his work instead of what he would be doing the next night. By the time he was able to leave, he was completely exhausted, mostly from the late nights and long days he had been accruing, but also a little bit because of the mental struggle he had been engaged in all day.

When he finally crashed into bed, he wasn't even able to keep himself awake long enough to plan what he was going to cook for her before he was out.

Still, the next morning came too fast.

Wren was even dreaming about Spencer. Or at least he had been until something crept into his range of hearing. The incessant pounding was keeping him from really letting himself fall into it. At first, he attempted to ignore it, squeezing his eyes shut and pulling a pillow over his head. But he still couldn't block it out of his mind. Finally, he gave up, cracking an eye open and glaring at the clock on his bedside table. It was already past noon. Those late nights at Spencer's house on top of his shifts at the hospital really were beginning to take their toll on him, even though he tried to deny it. Good thing he had nothing to do that day until it was time to cook dinner. Of course then Spencer was spending the night so it wasn't like he would be able to catch up on sleep then either. And he had a shift the next morning.

The knocking grew louder. "Coming," he muttered even though he knew whoever was there wouldn't be able to hear him. He rubbed his eyes wearily and stood up.

The knocking continued the entire time he walked down the steps and towards the noise. "Coming!" he called out again, beginning to get a little irritated at whoever was on the other side of the door. Stifling a yawn, he yanked the door open and looked forward in surprise. In front of him stood the last person he was expecting to see, looking just as aggravated as he felt.

"Melissa?"

A sudden sense of deja vu came over him, the morning Spencer showed up with the tiny newborn at her feet running through his mind. The look on her face had been almost identical to the one Melissa had.

She walked past him, the baby carrier in her hand brushing by his legs. "I didn't want to come here."

For a second, Wren was speechless. All the time he spent away from Melissa almost made him forget her matter of fact attitude. Almost. "Then what...?" Obviously ignoring the question in his tone, she avoided looking directly at his eyes. "Is there something-"

Of course she cut him off. "I didn't have a choice."

Shutting the door, Wren resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She would never change. Even when she needed something, she still couldn't pull herself together enough to act civil. "What's wrong, Melissa?"

By the time, he turned around from shutting the door, she was already on her way to the other room, not even glancing at him over her shoulder as she called out her answer. "Taylor's sick."

That caught Wren's interest, even if it was only his concern for the baby making him hurry to catch up with Melissa. Of course, Spencer had mentioned something about Melissa's early arrival from her vacation being about Taylor, but he had assumed it was nothing serious when Spencer failed to bring it up again.

"What's wrong, then?"

Turning the corner, he saw Melissa already lifting the baby out of the carrier, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. "I'm probably overreacting. That's why I brought him here. I didn't want to go to the doctor's office and make them think I was overreacting." She sighed, noticeably trying to relax. "He's had a fever and a runny nose and he's been miserable. I know it's probably not much but I was just…"

Nodding, Wren answered, "Worried. Understandable, especially for a first time mother." He walked closer to Melissa, his curiosity to see Taylor overruling his awkwardness at being alone with her for the first time since she had found out about him and Spencer.

"May I?" He held his arms out and waited for Melissa to hand him over. After a slight hesitation, Melissa carefully placed the baby in Wren's arms. Once she had, he looked down at the infant, taking in every detail of his appearance. Right away, he was almost certain that there was nothing serious wrong with him. But still, he took the time to inspect him, wanting to make sure he was correct in his belief, all the while marveling at the boy in his arms.

Something about babies amazed him, even after all the ones he had been around. It was strange the way he could see Ian Thomas in Taylor's face, the similarities giving Wren a clear picture of the child Melissa's husband had once been.

He noticed that in his silence, Melissa had already begun to fidget in her impatience. He needed to say something. "How high has his temperature been?"

Melissa's eyes remained on the baby as she answered, "No higher than 99.4." Nodding, Wren continued to with the impromptu check up, taking in the way Taylor was breathing, the tiny rise and fall of his chest.

"And you said he's been congested?"

Melissa nodded again, the worry evident on her face. Wren kept looking Taylor over, taking in his responses and the way his nose was shaped so much like Spencer's. Finally, he glanced up at Melissa.

"In my opinion, you have nothing to worry about. I mean, I'm not a pediatrician but I would say he just has a common cold. Should be gone within the week."

Melissa's forehead was wrinkled as she looked at him. "And there's nothing I can do to help him?"

Shaking his head, Wren smiled at Taylor. "Keep him hydrated. Just make sure he's drinking the same amount he normally drinks. Since he's under three months, there's no medicine I would recommend giving him. A humidifier would be a help as well. You can turn it on in his room at night when he's sleeping or during the day while he's down for naps. If he doesn't seem at least slightly better within the next two days, I would take him to his pediatrician, just to be sure. Even though it's most likely just your common cold, a second opinion couldn't hurt."

The entire time he talked, Melissa nodded, listening intently to what he had to say. The look in her face was intense, something fiercely protective there. Although he would never say it out loud, he could already tell that she was a much better mother than he ever could have imagined. "Okay," she whispered. "I just...I feel bad."

Wren glanced up again, meeting her eyes and seeing the guilt there. "I know," he murmured. "But it's not your fault. His immune system hasn't had the chance to strengthen yet."

"I know. I just feel bad that I can't make him feel better. And I wasn't expecting him to get sick. He's been so healthy since he was born, and it's summer."

"It's a virus. You know they can happen at anytime of the year, even when it's warmer out. I mean, Spencer just got over one herself."

Next to him, Wren felt Melissa's body stiffen. What had possessed him to bring Spencer up? Instantly, she was taking Taylor from him and hugging him tightly to her chest. Instead of putting him back in the car seat and leaving like he had thought she would, however, she sank down onto the couch behind her.

Her eyes lingered on the material of the cushion, fingertips resting against the surface next to her. All at once, Wren felt guilty. Ever since they had met in the kitchen at the Hastings' house, he had been avoiding Melissa, wary of her bad temper and motive she had to do something to mess things up between him and Spencer. But sitting on his couch, he could remember why he had ever liked Melissa in the first place, why he had ever loved her.

"Why wasn't it me?" Melissa muttered, still avoiding his gaze. Her hand brushed over Taylor's head, smoothing down his nonexistent hair before begin to wrap the blanket Wren had undone back around his small body.

Not for the first time, Wren found himself unable to answer her question, although this time it was because he had no idea what he could say to make her feel better. "I think I would have understood if it had been anyone else."

Once upon a time, Wren had known Melissa's vulnerable side, seen her at her very weakest. And then he had not only kissed her sister, but fallen in love with her as well. How could he possibly say anything to make her feel better after doing something like that?

"Why her?" For the first time, Melissa glanced up at him, her face set and serious but her sorrowful eyes saying something completely different. The obvious conflict in her emotions only shared one demand. She wanted an answer.

"I don't know," Wren whispered, already sure that Melissa would never accept that answer from him. "It was never something that I intended to happen." The words coming out of his mouth felt like they were on repeat, something he had said countless times to people since his engagement with Melissa had ended.

"What is it about her that makes people like her more than me?"

Another question he couldn't answer. He knew that there was something about Spencer that had drawn him to her since the first time he laid eyes on her but he wasn't about to say that to her sister.

Taylor stretched, thankfully distracting Melissa and causing her to turn her attention back down to the child. "You don't have to answer me," she said, her head still turned down. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen Spencer so happy before. Even when she was with Toby she was constantly on edge. She's been different. You make her different."

Despite the fact that he hated the thought of Spencer being with any one else but him, he couldn't help the pride he felt knowing he was the reason behind Spencer's new attitude.

"I'm not saying that I'm happy about the way things have turned out between the two of you, but I have to accept that that's the way it is. I can't stay stuck in the past. Not with Taylor."

Wren nodded, unable to believe what he was hearing. He was scared to say anything to her, scared to ruin her moment of tranquility. Could she be trusted? He still remembered the fickle ways of her moods, the times she had seemed fine at first and then become upset later. And her speech was random, coming out of nowhere when she had been so angry over the issue up until that point.

"I am very sorry, Melissa. It truly was something I never intended to happen."

At least she wasn't angry. He kept repeating that thought to himself over and over again. But somehow he couldn't believe it. It would have been better to see her angry than to see her hurt. Having her mad at him was better than the sad look on her face.

"Are you in love with her?"

Wren paused, knowing that whatever he said wouldn't be the right answer. Of course he was in love with her. Hadn't he been for awhile now? It had been a somewhat gradual realization, but he was almost certain he had started to love her very early on in their relationship. It was because of her that he wasn't currently stuck in an unhappy marriage, something that would have ruined both him and Melissa.

Melissa stared up at him from the couch, a blank expression on her face. "Of course you are," she finally said, saying what he was thinking out loud. Still, he was unable to answer her. If he admitted that he loved her, that he loved Spencer, it would change things. No longer would it just be something physical between them. It would be real and emotional and he frankly wasn't sure how she would be able to handle everything if that happened.

"What were we playing at?" It seemed as though she had grown impatient waiting for him to speak again. It also seemed like she wasn't even close to being done with her questioning, and already Wren was tired of trying to find the answers.

What had they been playing at? "We never worked." Wren lowered himself onto the couch, still wary of Melissa and her ever present mood swings. "All we did was fight."

"You're right." All they had done was fight, incessantly, over everything they could come up with to fight about. It was never in public, especially when they were around her family, but it still happened. They fought over what to have for dinner, what movie to watch, where they were going to live after they got married. It had been exhausting for Wren, the constant fighting. He was used to being easy going and non-confrontational. Melissa had brought out an entirely different side of him when they had been together.

"Where do you think we would have been by now if we had actually gone through with it?"

The very thought of it intrigued him. It was something that he had never given much thought to, but upon thinking it over right then, it was clear that there was only one option for him as to where they would have been. "Divorced."

Surprisingly, Melissa laughed, her smile even reaching her eyes and telling Wren that she truly found what he had said funny. "You're right." They never would have worked. Not in a million years. "Either that or miserable." Another option, although it was one that he hoped he never would have put up with if they had gotten married.

"It's weird, seeing where we're ending up now, isn't it? It's barely been a year." Melissa's eyes were back on the baby, who had thankfully fallen asleep in her arms. "I'm a mom. I'm a widow. I don't know which is harder to believe."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I do believe you're doing a good job of it so far."

The smile that ghosted over her mouth was grateful, or at least that's what he was choosing to believe. But then her lips were straightening out, the look on her face becoming neutral once more. "And you're dating my sister."

He shifted uncomfortably, not sure if he should answer or not.

"You know, before I introduced the two of you, I thought you would never get along. I thought that you would be too laid back for someone as uptight as her. I definitely thought all your jokes would get on your nerves." Wren watched at she swallowed, her face sad once more. "I guess I realized how little I actually knew about her. She's the complete opposite of me. That's why you two are so good with one another."

The fact that she had just admitted that they were good together astounded Wren, especially when she had never actually seen them interact besides their one ill timed kiss. "I think the two of you are actually a lot more similar than you believe." He was treading on thin water with her, knowing that something he said could easily set her off and ruin whatever moment they were having. Still, he continued.

"The amount of determination and stubbornness I see in both of you is amazing. Sometimes a bit annoying, but amazing all the same. And you're both much too smart for your own good. You're quick to hold grudges, and you both feel much more than you let on, for the most part." Melissa seemed captivated by the things he was saying. Her eyes were trained on his, obviously waiting for him to continue. "Sometimes, she will say something, and for a second it catches me off guard because it's so similar to something you would have said to me."

"But we are different," Melissa whispered, urging Wren to nod. They were more alike than either of them would care to admit but their differences were also very prominent. It was the things that made Spencer different from her sister that really drew him to her.

"You are." The two words hung in the air between them, an slightly uncomfortable silence moving in. Wren crossed one leg over the other, then uncrossed it. He was nervous, enough so that he didn't know what to do with himself.

"I'm not happy about whatever is going on between you two. But I can't keep letting these things preoccupy me. It's going to drive me crazy." There was a new blunt edge to her voice, her words a sudden change in topic from what they they had just been talking about.

Suddenly, she looked up at him. "I'm not going to get in your way with Spencer. I'm not going to help you, but I'm also not going to get in your way. Just as long as your promise me one thing."

The tone in Melissa's voice made Wren feel like he was making a deal with the devil. But he was also sure that Spencer would more than appreciate more time before having her parents find out about their relationship. And because of that, he found himself nodding, agreeing to whatever Melissa was about to say.

Quietly, Melissa murmured, "I worry about her." And then in a louder voice, "Don't hurt her like you hurt me." Instantly, the waves of guilt crashed over him, the way he had let things turn out between him and Melissa unacceptable, but also unchangeable. He wished that he could take it back. Not the fact that it had happened, but the fact that he hadn't broken things off with her the moment he realized there were more to his feelings for her sister. He wished that he hadn't been the one to instigate things, although he wouldn't wish that responsibility on Spencer any day. In a simpler world, he would have met Spencer first and fallen so hard for her that he couldn't notice any other girl that walked by him. But that wasn't the way things had worked out, and there was nothing he could do to change that except try to try and make Melissa feel a little bit better about it.

"I won't." He couldn't. For some reason, the very thought of ever kissing someone else now that he was with Spencer was unfathomable in a way that it had never been when he was engaged to Melissa. It was just one more thing that he couldn't, wouldn't, say to Melissa.

"Good." All the sudden, Melissa's face was blank again, the open expression she had just worn gone. Just like that, she was back to her normal neurotic, cold self. Although, now Wren could be more sure that he himself had a large part in having made her that way. "I better get going," she muttered, settling Taylor into his car seat and tucking his blanket around him. "Thanks again for taking a look at him."

"It's not a problem," Wren answered cautiously. "Feel free to bring him by any time."

As Melissa stood, he could see a certain stiffness in her movements. "I actually think I'm going to be moving back to the townhouse." Images of the home flashed through Wren's mind, memories of helping her decorate coming back to him. He wondered if she had gotten rid of everything he had liked after they had broken up.

"I think I need a fresh start somewhere that's not Rosewood." Her eyes softened as she looked down at Taylor. "We need a fresh start."

Wren nodded. Getting out of the town that had caused so many problems for her over the years seemed like a good idea to him. It also seemed worth suggesting to Spencer sometime in the near future. "Still, don't hesitate to call if you have any questions."

Melissa nodded and shifted uncomfortably. For a brief moment, Wren wondered if they should hug. It seemed like the situation called for it, but a part of him worried that Melissa wouldn't take too kindly to the idea of him touching her. In the end, he didn't have to worry about it. Melissa just nodded again and marched toward the door, leaving him to trail awkwardly behind her.

Once they reached the door, she looked over her shoulder with a sad smile. "I'll see you around Wren." And then she was gone, leaving him feeling slightly unsettled.

The entire conversation already felt unreal to him. It seemed more like she had been trying to ask him to watch over Spencer than chastising him for their involvement. Of course, he would do everything in his power to keep Spencer out of harm's way.

For a few moments, he stared at the shut door, trying to process the conversation and figure out how he was going to explain the entire thing to Spencer. She probably wouldn't even be able to believe that Melissa had come to him for help in the first place.

After a while, he shook his head, forcing himself to think about something else. He had a lot of things to do, and not much time to do them. He needed to shower and then figure out what he was cooking for dinner. And then he actually had to go buy the groceries to make whatever it was going to be. That didn't leave him with that much time to actually cook the meal. But he would certainly try.

* * *

As the clock ticked near to 7, Wren began to feel his anticipation building the way it always did when he was waiting for her. The eagerness to be near to her, or really just to be in the same room as her threatened to overwhelm him. Every time, he asked himself what kind of hold she had over him to make him feel that way, and every time he wasn't able to answer his own question.

As the minute hand slowly moved past the 7, Wren began to worry. Spencer was never late. He picked up his phone, quickly realizing that he had missed a text from her, sent almost twenty minutes earlier.

**I'm running a little late. Be there closer to 8?**

It was unlike Spencer to ever be anything but punctual. It was one of the things he loved about her, the way she was always exactly where she needed to be exactly when she needed to be there. And he knew that if something had happened to keep her from him, it had to be important.

But then 8 rolled around, then 8:30 and still there was no sign of Spencer. At that point, him impatience had been replaced with something that was very close to full blown panic, especially after she hadn't answered his phone call or texts. All of the sudden, he got a message.

His phone beeped, and he grabber it hurriedly, expecting to see a text from Spencer waiting for him. Instead, there was only a blank text from an unknown number with a picture attached. As soon as he opened it, his heart dropped.

There on the screen of his phone was a very clear image of Spencer and Toby Cavanaugh, looking more than comfortable with each other outside the new coffee place across town. At first, he didn't understand what he was seeing. Why would Spencer be meeting up with Toby? Hadn't she told Wren that he had moved away from Rosewood? More than that, why would Toby be kissing her, something she didn't seem to be objecting to in the slightest. Her lips w ere parted and her eyes were closed and there seemed to be a slight smile on her mouth.

His phone beeped again, a second message from the same number popping up. This time, instead of a picture, there was just one line on the screen of his phone.

**Now that the carpenter's back in town, it looks like there's no room left for the doctor.**

All at once, he was angry. It wasn't fair that he could put himself so far into their relationship, only to have Spencer turn around and start seeing Toby again behind his back. How long had it been going on? How long could she had hid something like this from him?

In the back of his mind, the fact that someone was so obviously stalking her nagged at him. Whether it was a copycat of the Mona Vanderwaal girl or something else entirely, this person was obviously out to ruin Spencer. But that was something he couldn't even think about right then. All he was able to concentrate on was how angry he was.

Angry that he had been so worried about Spencer when she obviously wasn't concerned with his feelings. Angry that she would do something like that to him. Angry that he hadn't prepared himself for something like this happening. The entire time they had been together, she had obviously been hung up on Toby, Hadn't that been apparent to him from the beginning? But him, being the regular prince in shining armor had thought that he could make her forget. He had thought that he could take whatever leftover feelings she had for the boy and turn them into feelings for him. But apparently, he had been dead wrong.

Logically, he knew that he needed to ask her, give her a chance to explain. But how could he when he had the proof, so clear and painful in his hand.

It had always been there, the fact that she had loved Toby, that she probably loved him still. But he had pushed that from his mind, intent on making sure that Spencer knew how he loved her so. But she had never known. Either that or it wasn't enough. Because how could she possibly do something like this to him if she cared for him at all.

Was the way he felt a cruel case of karma for the way he had done the same thing to Melissa? Of course it was.

In the silence of the room, he heard the faint sound of a car driving up outside, the engine cutting off abruptly. And then there was silence. Perfect timing, in a twisted way.

He didn't want to see her. He didn't want to see her and have to think about the secrets she had been keeping. The image of her and Toby ran through his mind again, making him feel disgusted with the entire situation. How could he be so hopelessly in love with someone who would only ever love another?

Outside, a car door slammed, and instantly his heart ached. How could something like this come in between them? How could he have deluded himself into thinking things would actually work out between them. From the beginning, things had simply been too complicated. Maybe it had been stupid of him to even try.

He felt his heart pounding while his hands clenched into fists. He couldn't remember the last time something had made him this angry. Probably something Melissa had said or done to him. Snorting, he shook his head. Nothing to piss you off like a Hastings girl. As more and more questions swirled around in his head, he dreaded the moment she walked through the door.

But that moment was inevitable, and all too soon she was there.


	19. The Fallout

There was nothing Spencer would have liked more than just walking into Wren's house and pretending that everything was fine. They could pick up where they left off the other night, and be together until the next time something like work or school pulled them apart. And even then, they would always make their way back to each other eventually.

The only problem with that was that she nervous. Nervous and conflicted because her so called 'meeting' with Toby had turned into a three-hour-long conversation that looked suspiciously like a date. And it had felt exactly the same as all those other times they had sat outside coffee shops and just talked about anything that crossed their mind.

Then he had kissed her.

He kissed her and now she had to go spend the night with Wren without letting the past afternoon interfere with their time together. Like that was going to happen.

The house was quiet when she let herself in, although that wasn't uncommon. What was different was the fact that Wren wasn't in the kitchen where she had expected him to be, and there air was noticeably absent of the smell of any dinner cooking.

"Hello?"

Her voice hung in the air, but no answer came. That was weird. She pulled her phone out, glancing at the empty screen. "Wren?" Her eyes stayed down, even as she made her way into the living room. And there he was sitting on the couch with his back to her, not even bothering to turn around and look at her. "Hey," she called out cautiously. "What are you doing?"

Over his shoulder, he glanced back at her before standing up. Still, he didn't answer her. "Wren?"

"How long?" The words made Spencer jump after his silence, her phone slipping from her grasp and falling onto the ground in the process. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the case come off and slide away from her, but she was too preoccupied with Wren to look for it. He was standing near the edge of the couch and just from the look on his face, she could instantly tell that he knew.

She hadn't been planning on telling him Toby was back quite yet. The thought of what their strange meeting date had scared her. How was she supposed to tell Wren that she was suddenly torn between the two of them?

"How long?" The repeated question made her nervous; she had never heard him talk that way. It was like she was a stranger to him. Her mind raced in the effort to come up with some kind of excuse, something to make him or her or both of them feel better. But she couldn't think of anything to say to him that wouldn't make the situation worse than it already was.

"How long what?" she asked, already knowing that he wasn't going to play this game for long. It wasn't like she could actually pretend that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"How long has he been back?" Spencer glanced away from him, her mind lingering on the question of how he knew. If she had to guess, either Melissa or A had clued him in. At that point, there was no way to know which one of the two wanted to hurt her more.

"How long until you go back to him?"

Her gaze snapped back to his face, her forehead creased as she took in the unreadable expression on his face. "Go back to him?"

From the floor, she heard the dull buzz of her phone vibrating. "Are you already with him again?" She stared at Wren in amazement. "Is that him now?" At the end of his question, she could hear the hurt seeping into his voice. She shook her head, dazed by all the questions.

"I'm not, we're not..." she let her sentence taper off, not quite sure how to finish. "We haven't even talked about getting back together." Yet. She didn't say it, too guilty to admit that it was something that would probably come up soon. Still, the unspoken word hung unspoken in the air between them.

"But you're thinking about it." It wasn't a question. How could she not think about it?

She shrugged. "I didn't say that."

"But you are."

She didn't answer him, knowing that her answer was something he wouldn't want to hear anyway. Finally, he looked away from her, shaking his head in the process.

"Wren, please-"

"Don't, Spencer." When he finally looked at her, she could tell he was trying hard to look angry, instead of sad. "I just want to know how long."

She stared at him, her heart twisting at the look on his face. "He's only been back since yesterday. And nothing has happened between us. I swear." It was strange the way her voice was suddenly so desperate and high. It wasn't often she let herself get so emotional.

Wren laughed sharply. "It didn't look like nothing from what I saw."

Suddenly, the image of Toby kissing her came to mind again. "That wasn't what it looked like." And it hadn't been. They had been getting ready to say goodbye, time having gone much faster than she thought it was going to. Toby had leaned in to kiss her cheek and she had turned her head at just the wrong time. It was uncomfortable and like something you would see in a teenage romance movie, but it had happened none the less. They had just laughed awkwardly, neither one of the them wanting to pay any more attention to it than they were comfortable with. But obviously Wren saw it as something more.

Her phone vibrated once again on the floor and she looked down, unsure whether she should pick it up or not. In the end, she decided against it, instead trying to pull together some sort of explanation. "He came back for the end of the summer. The job he was working on finished up. That's why he was so late getting here." She hesitated. "He does want to get back together, but that doesn't mean..."

His eyes connected with hers. "So you're not going to get back together with him?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, breaking their eye contact. How could he expect her to answer that? A large part of her had never expected to see Toby again, and now that he had just shown up out of nowhere she didn't know how to handle it. "I don't know," she finally admitted, watching as Wren's jaw tightened and he looked away.

"Wren, please," she pleaded. "I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm just so confused right now and I need you to understand that." And she did. She needed him to understand because he always understood. He was always the one who knew what to say or do when she was upset.

"You're confused?" he asked her. "What do you have to be confused about? Your boyfriend broke up with you so you used me as a bloody rebound or whatever you want to call it. And now he's back so you two can go back to being the happy couple you were before." His voice was low and bitter, angry in a way she had never heard.

Before she had a chance to respond, her phone buzzed on the hard wood once again. "Can you please shut that damn thing off!" he asked loudly. She jumped slightly, not used to hearing him raise his voice, but quickly bent down to pick it up, turning it off without even looking to see who was messaging her. Placing it on the piano gently, she slowly made her way across the room towards him.

Leaving a bigger space between than then she normally would, she reached for his hands, only to have him step back. The very idea that he didn't want her close to him made her want to cry. "Please, Wren. I just need some time."

His gaze flickered between her eyes. "Time to see if you can work things out with him."

She stayed quiet, feeling the beginning of a lump in her throat. "Wren," she whispered, fighting to keep her voice steady. Her hands lifted again, almost of their own accord and settled on his sides. "Please. There's so much going on in my mind, I feel like I don't even know which way is up right now."

Wren nodded, still not looking at her, but allowing her to keep her hands on him. "I don't understand you, Spencer." With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair before looking at her. A tight feeling settled in her throat when she saw the look on his face. Like she had let him down. And she had. She had been the one to suggest they try to make their relationship real. He had gone along with it, but she had been the one who wanted it in the first place.

She stepped closer to him. "I know, I know. I don't even understand myself. And I'm not saying that we're going to... I just need to figure some things out right now."

"Does he know about us?" Of course not. How was she supposed to bring something like that up to Toby. He knew a completely different side of her than Wren did.

After debating on whether or not to tell the truth, Spencer finally whispered, "No," and waited for the fallout. As an afterthought she added, "At least not anything since what happened before…" She saw him quickly figuring out which before she meant. Before she had used Wren to break up with Toby. Before she had claimed she was cheating with him. Before her and Toby had gotten back together the last time.

"Are you planning on telling him?"

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. It took her a couple seconds to respond, and even then her voice was even shakier than it had been before. "I think that would just complicate things."

He nodded once more, his anger obviously flaring back up. For a second, he looked like he was going to say something, but then his jaw clenched and he looked away. "What?" she whispered. "I want to know what you're thinking."

He could only keep his eyes on her for short amounts of time. "You want to know what I'm thinking?" He gritted his teeth. "I'm thinking that you're infuriating. I'm thinking that you're self-centered. You only think about yourself. You used me this summer. I thought...I thought," he shook his head, not finishing his sentence as he glared at her. "I thought this meant more to you than what you're saying."

Her forehead wrinkled as she shook her head. "Of course it meant more than that! That was never what this was about. I swear."

He laughed humorlessly. "Really? Because it doesn't really look like it meant anything at all to you."

She stepped closer to him, her hands reaching for his chest, his neck, any part of him. But he only stepped back, shaking his head in warning. "Don't, Spencer."

"Wren, please," she whispered, not even embarrassed that she was beginning to cry over something she had brought upon herself. Tears filled her eyes as she moved close to him again. "I can't handle you being like this to me."

Her hands moved to his face, cradling his face between them. He tried to step back again, but she just moved with him. "I can't handle losing you."

He grabbed her wrists pushing them away from his face. "That's probably something you should have thought of before you decided to run around with the carpenter again."

Her eyes widened and she felt the tears start to spill over onto her face. Her wrists were still in his hand and he held them tightly. "Stop crying, Spencer. You have no right to cry right now. You did this. This is a choice that you're making."

Her vision was blurry as she looked at him. "I know but… Are you breaking up with me?"

The grip on her wrists tightened. "No, I think you're breaking up with me. But that's fine. It's not like you can break something that was never even there to begin with," he spat out.

She blinked, trying to clear her eyes as she stepped forward again. "It was there. It is. It's been there this whole time. You can't believe that this summer meant nothing to me."

"How am I supposed to believe that when you're standing in front of me telling me the exact opposite?"

It was selfish of her, but right then all she wanted was for him to stop saying things that were so true. So she did the only thing she could think of to get him to stop talking. Before he knew what she was doing, she had yanked her hands away from him, catching his face and pressing her lips against his. Initially, she felt him try to pull away, but it didn't take long before he was kissing her back.

There was no slow and steady build up this time, nor was anything between them playful. When he touched her, she could feel the purpose behind it, and it made her sorely miss the teasing ways he usually ran his fingers over her body.

It didn't take much for her to give up any control she might have had at some point. It was easier to let him do what he wanted rather than risk doing something that would make him stop.

His arms snaked around her waist and spun them around, urging her up until her legs were wrapped around him and her back was pressed into the wall. She gasped at the sudden impact, her lips opening at just the right moment for him to push his tongue into her mouth. Everything about his movements was slightly aggressive. The way his teeth bit sharply on her bottom lip, his fingers moving rapidly across her chest, the way his hips rocked against her. It wasn't something she had anticipated when she had walked through the door, but she wouldn't deny that something about it was giving her the familiar ache between her legs.

Somehow, he managed to get them both up the stairs and into the bedroom. The door slammed close behind them as they landed in a heap on the bed. Before she even had time to get her bearings, he was pulling her shirt over her head and pushing her skirt up. Her voice hitched in the back of her mouth as she let out a throaty moan, his fingers having found their way to her underwear.

He yanked them down her legs, quickly pulling his own shirt and pants off before climbing back on top of her. She moved to kiss him, but he avoided her mouth, instead nipping at her neck. His arousal was already apparent against her leg, and she wondered if they were actually about to have sex when they were both so obviously upset.

He had never been so rough with her before. Not that rough was actually the right word to describe what was happening between them. The only times he had been anything other than gentle, he had been joking around. This time she could tell the difference in his body. His hands found the spots that affected her the most, torturing her until she cried out and then moving on to a new location.

His teeth sucked and bit everywhere they touched, not hard enough to actually hurt her, but definitely hard enough that she knew he was getting his frustrations out on her. She grunted when she felt his fingers push inside of her, immediately curling and pressing against her inner wall. Any time her hands moved, they were pushed back by his, an obvious sign that even though they were in the middle of something like this, he didn't want her to touch him. She didn't really understand why she was so turned on by this. Maybe because it showed that if nothing else, he still couldn't resist her. More likely, she was just relieved to be away from his sad eyes and hurt voice.

Using her feet to push his boxers off, she wiggled underneath of him, grasping at his shoulders as his fingers moved forcibly inside of her. And then he was pulling his hand out of her while simultaneously pinning both of her wrists over her head. Before she even knew he was at her entrance, he was thrusting into her.

The only sounds in the room were their harsh breathing and the unavoidable moans she couldn't contain despite herself. It was weird, not talking or joking around with one another. But it was also something she had brought upon herself. Again and again, she reminded herself of that, even as his hand slipped between their bodies, knowing exactly where she needed him.

Somehow, he managed to control himself until after she had come, only letting himself go once she had tightened around him, calling out loudly. As he panted into her ear, she could't help but be surprised that he was actually letting himself stay over her, their bodies still tangled as they both struggled to control their breathing.

Of course, as soon as the thought crossed her mind, he was pulling away from her, moving so that their bodies weren't touching anymore and avoiding her eyes. That's when she started to lose it. The pressure built behind her eyes, and then there was a hot trail of tears streaming down her face as her shoulders shook. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Her words were mumbled and probably slightly incoherent, but it looked like they at least had made some sort of impact on him.

It could be the last time they were ever together. What if from that time on he refused to be with her? Her thoughts of Toby conflicted with the fact that she might never be so close to Wren again. "I'm sorry. I'm ruining everything." Her shoulders began to shake as she started to cry harder, her hands traveling up to cover her face. This time, it barely took any time at all for him to react, hesitantly opening his arms to hers.

She didn't waste anytime in pressing herself against him, still crying and whispering, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen," repeatedly. Eventually, she felt his hand on the back of her hair, not stroking it to soothe her normally would, but there none the less. Before long, she was drifting off the sleep, her breath still catching in the back of her throat from crying so hard, and her cheeks wet.

* * *

The next morning, she woke up alone. The bed was empty next to her and cold, telling her Wren had been gone for awhile. She got up slowly, her eyes feeling heavy and swollen from all the crying she had done the night before. Making her way into the bathroom, she grabbed her bag and ran her hand through her hair.

When she saw herself in the mirror, she paused. Her hair was a mess, sticking out in weird places, and the skin on her face blotchy. Not only that, but there was a fairly large bruise on her neck from Wren. It was dark, and most definitely put there on purpose, although she couldn't bring herself to be upset over it. At least she still had a sign of what they had. But that didn't explain the rest of her. She looked bad, and she felt empty and she was sure neither Toby nor Wren would want her if they saw her right at that moment.

She looked away from her reflection, feeling the tears start to gather behind her eyes again. She couldn't believe that last night might have been the last time she was able to sleep in the same bed with him. Shaking her and blinking rapidly, she pulled clothes out of her bag and started to get ready.

When he found her half an hour later, she was looking significantly better than she had upon waking. She was wearing a maroon high waisted skirt with a creme colored blouse tucked in, black heels on her feet. She had smoothed out her complexion and pulled her hair into a loose side ponytail, curling it so it covered her neck. She would just have to avoid moving around too much while she was in class and then she could go home and wear a sweatshirt to hide it.

Her eyes were still a little too red for her liking, probably because she had been fighting off tears the entire time she was getting ready, but she hoped no one would notice in class. If they did, they probably wouldn't say anything anyway. She had just picked up her eyeliner when he appeared in the doorway behind her.

She froze for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Hi," she whispered, sounding pathetic even to her own ears. "Hello," he said back, not saying anything else. She hesitated for a minute and then began applying her make-up, trying not to feel nervous at the way he was watching her.

She went through her normal routine of eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara, feeling his eyes on her in the mirror the entire time. When she was finished, she looked like it was just any normal day and not the one where she felt like her world was crashing down around her.

"I'm sorry about your neck." She looked up startled, meeting his eyes in the mirror briefly before he looked away. Apparently it wasn't as well hidden as she had thought it was. Her hand drifted up the the offending spot, shielding it as she said, "It's fine."

"I never meant to get so..." he paused, obviously searching for the right word but unable to find it as he went on. "I never meant to get like that with you."

She nodded, afraid to say anything that would make him leave. It didn't matter either way though; he glanced at his watch and pushed himself off the doorway. "I have to get to work." Again, she nodded, not knowing what he wanted her to say.

His eyes were sad in the mirror as they met hers. "I'll see you around." With that he turned and walked away, letting the bedroom door shut behind him. She stared at the empty space in the mirror where he had been a second before, unable to believe he'd left like that, before she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

* * *

By the time she got home from class, she was more than ready to wallow in her own self pity. Right before she was about to get changed, though, she saw an unexpected text pop up on her phone. It took her a second to realize what the name on the screen actually meant.

Emily was back. The words reverberated through her head, just the thought of her sweetest friend being home was enough to give her hope. If anyone would know what to do, it would be Emily. Despite her natural shyness, she knew how to be honest in a way that wasn't harsh. It was completely different from Hanna's blunt nature and Aria's tendency to shy away from tough topics in the effort to not hurt anyone's feelings. Emily would tell her what to do.

Without a second thought, she was on her way to the tanner girl's house, walking the streets of Rosewood because something about her car just seemed too stifling at the moment. The minutes slipped quickly by, her brain still trained on Wren and Toby, Toby and Wren, the choice she had to make the only thing she could concentrate on.

Before she knew it, she was in front of Emily's familiar front door, knocking rapidly and waiting to be let in. Soon enough, the door was opening, and there she was, her skin darker than Spencer had ever seen it and an unreadable look on her face. In that moment, the only thing she could do was throw her arms around Emily, pulling her tightly into her body and squeezing for dear life.

The embrace lasted longer than it normally would have, Emily's arms returning the hug only after a few seconds of hesitation. "I missed you," breathed Spencer, only then realizing how true the words were. Something inside of her felt more complete now that Emily was back.

"I missed you too," Emily said, pulling back and looking Spencer up and down. "And you look like a ghost. I don't understand how it is that you and Aria manage to get even paler in the summer." She grinned, making Spencer smile in return for the first time since before she and Wren had fought.

"We can't all be gifted with such good genetics," Spencer shot back, her eyes sliding past Emily into the house behind her. "Where's your mom?"

Shrugging, Emily glanced over her shoulder before gesturing for Spencer to come inside. "She went out to get some things to make dinner. She's all about making my 'homecoming' special." For the first time, Spencer heard the hostile edge creeping into Emily's voice, although she didn't know why. "I've been unpacking in my room if you want to come up."

Spencer nodded, and then they were going up the stairs and into Emily's room, which looked just like it always had. "It looks like you were never gone," Spencer muttered, watching as Emily made her way to the desk and sat down in her desk chair.

Her comment went unanswered, or ignored, depending on how Spencer chose to look at it, as the other girl redirected their conversation. "How are your classes going?"

Sitting on Emily's bed, Spencer shrugged. "Fine. Over next week, thankfully."

A look of surprise crossed Emily's face as she stared at Spencer. "I don't think I've ever heard you say you were excited for school to end."

Emily was right. Spencer paused, turning that thought over in her head, already knowing the reasoning behind it. Once classes ended, she would have more time to spend with Wren before her senior year started. The realization made her chest ache, her mind returning to what she had been trying to suppress all day.

"You alright?"

The question snapped Spencer from her thoughts. "Yeah." Her voice was hoarse and she cleared her throat to attempt some sort of normalcy. "Yeah. But I don't know why you want to talk about me when I've been doing the same thing all summer. How was Haiti?"

Emily's instantly looked away, her eyes settling on the desk in front of her. "It was fine," she said.

Taken aback by the way Emily seemed so willing to avoid the topic, Spencer started to worry. "Are you sure? Did something happen?"

"No, no. It just wasn't that exciting." Still, Emily's eyes avoided her own.

"Em, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

Spencer paused. Was she reading too much into what Emily was saying? Probably. She was most likely projecting her emotions onto anyone who wasn't her at the moment. So she let it go. "Okay," she said slowly. There was an awkward vibe in the room, something Spencer had never really experience with Emily before. It made her certain that there was something the other girl wasn't telling her.

"Do you want to do something fun?"

The question made Spencer suspicious. It wasn't that Emily was boring, but she also wasn't the type to propose something so vague. Hanna was more likely to say something like that, usually with a party in mind. But she did want to spend time with Emily.

"Like what?"

If Spencer had thought Emily's question seemed unlike her, she really didn't know what to do when the other girl walked over to her closet and pulled a bottle from the very back of the top shelf. She held it up and grinned at Spencer.

Spencer stared at the bottle of clear liquid for a minute, stunned into silence by the fact that Emily was hiding alcohol in her closet. Emily who was always the last one to agree to anything that had to do with drinking, who always had to be urged to take a drink, first by Alison and then later by Hanna. Emily, whose mom would kill her if she ever found out. "Is that tequila?"

Emily glanced at the bottle, her smile beginning to fade. "Yeah." Her arm dropped as her mouth settled into a frown. "We don't have to. I guess it was a stupid idea."

"No! No." Spencer cleared her throat. "We can. I just…" She trailed off, not that Emily seemed to notice.

"Great!" The smile had returned to her face. "Are your parents going to be home tonight?"

Slowly, Spencer nodded. "Yeah. But I heard Melissa tell my mom she was going to be at the townhouse for the next couple of nights so we could use the barn." If Melissa found out they had gotten drunk in the barn, there would be hell to pay, especially after her finding out about Spencer and Wren. But it was a chance Spencer was going to take.

"Awesome," Emily muttered. "Can we go now?"

Once again, Spencer paused. It was only 4 in the afternoon. "Isn't your mom making you dinner for you?"

"She'll live. I can always reheat it tomorrow." If there was one thing Spencer knew about Mrs. Fields, it was that she hated when Emily didn't do what she asked. And she had a feeling that it would take a lot for her to just 'get over' it.

"Are you sure?"

Without a glance her way, Emily began walking around the room, picking up random articles of clothes and throwing them in the bag. "Yep. I'm ready whenever you are." She shoved the bottle into the bag and looked at Spencer expectantly.

"Okay…" Standing slowly, she moved towards the door, knowing Emily would follow her. "Should we call Hanna or Aria?"

"They're busy."

Of course they were. All the sudden, Spencer wasn't sure how she felt about drinking alone with Emily when she was so obviously not herself. It seemed like whatever Mrs. Fields had intended on happening by convincing her to go on this trip had backfired. She was just as emotionally distraught as she had been before, only now she was better at hiding it. That was probably what happened when you were forced to deal with grief in the midst of a group of strangers. Still, she tried to push the thought out of her mind as they made their way back down the stairs.

"Hold on one second."

Spencer turned to see Emily detouring into her kitchen. A minute later she was walking back out. "Ready?"

"Yeah." As she followed Emily out the front door, she glanced over her shoulder. "What did you have to do?"

From in front of her, Emily said, "Left a note for my mom saying you were really torn up over some boy you met this summer and needed me to stay with you because your parents are out of town. She'll understand."

She wouldn't understand. If that had been the truth, Emily's mom would have insisted that Spencer stayed the night at their house and eat dinner with them. She definitely would not have let Emily sleep out on her first night back at home. "But…she's going to hate me if she finds out the truth."

"Please." Emily turned around at the car and Spencer caught the end of her rolling her eyes. "She loves you. If she finds out the truth, she'll know that I came up with the whole plan."

Spencer nodded, thinking back to the note. It was ironic the way Emily hadn't been lying about the boy part when Spencer was sure she could have no idea. Feeling a wave of sadness crash over her, she struggled to blink back tears. Almost instantly, Emily noticed something was wrong.

"You alright?" Spencer just nodded, notching how Emily seemed to have lost her normally sympathetic tone while she was in Haiti.

"Yeah, yeah. Just got something in my eye." Thankfully, her voice barely shook, and she was sure Emily didn't notice. Either that or she didn't care enough to say anything more about it.

"Okay. Let's go."

Four hours later, Spencer was happy that she had let Emily convince her to drink. They were laid out on the living room floor in her barn, watching old recordings of Melissa's soap operas and taking a drink every time they thought someone was being overdramatic. Of course, Spencer was drunk off her ass while Emily was just beyond tipsy.

"How are you not drunk yet? The bottle's almost gone." Thankfully, Spencer knew how to handle herself when she drank. There was only the slightest hint of a slur to her voice.

Emily laughed. "Remember how I told you Haiti wasn't that exciting?" Nodding, Spencer squeezed her eyes shut and tried to keep the room from spinning. "I lied. I just don't remember half of the time I was there because I was so drunk."

Feeling like everything was in slow motion, Spencer looked at Emily, whose eyes were still trained on the TV like what she had said meant nothing. Was she joking? There was no sign that she was telling anything but the truth. The fact that Emily could be so candid about something like that made Spencer sad. Emily was the last person she ever would have thought of to start drinking so heavily.

"That was definitely unnecessary," Emily muttered about something one of the characters had done. "Drink!" She brought the bottle up to her mouth and took a swig, holding it out for Spencer afterwards. Taking it, Spencer stared at the liquid inside. She couldn't even remember the last time she had drank before this night.

And then it came back to her. It had been the night she was supposed to meet with Melissa. She had met Wren in the bar. They'd made out and then she'd slept on his couch. He'd been too much of a gentleman to sleep with her that night because she was drunk. And people said that chivalry was dead.

"You're being overdramatic. Drink." Spencer looked up to meet Emily's eyes and realized what she meant. Without even realizing it, she had begun to cry, her eyes filling up with tears before she could try to fight them back.

"I, I…" For once, Spencer couldn't find the words she needed to convey her emotions, making Emily shake her head.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter as much as you think it does." But it was too late, Spencer was already beginning to cry harder.

"I've been sleeping with Wren all summer," she managed to say. And then before she could stop herself, the entire story was pouring out of her mouth, details she had refused to give Hanna and Aria slipping past her lips. Everything, from the playground to the dates to Toby's return spilled out of her mouth without a second thought. The entire time she talked, Emily just stared at her, eyes attentive but no other expression on her face. Ending with the last night she and Wren had spent together, she found herself struggling to control her breath. Emily was still not saying anything.

Finally, it began to connect in Spencer's mind that Emily had made no move to hug her, or even touch her at all. She couldn't remember a single time in their friendship when Emily had let her, or any of the others, just cry.

"It's not that big of a deal, Spencer." Emily reached over and took the bottle from her hand. "Either you go with one or the other. Just pick."

Spencer looked at her confused. How could she think it was so simple. "How-?"

Emily cut her off. "Spencer, just stop over thinking things. You make everything so complicated."

"I don't-"

"You do!" Emily glared at her for a second before looking away and taking another large mouthful. "Stop trying to deny it. You're so intent on having everything under control that you don't even appreciate the things you do have."

"What does that even mean?" Spencer asked, trying to clear her mind of the alcohol induced haze and suddenly wishing she hadn't consumed so much of the bottle. She felt like she was watching the events unfold between them from far away.

"It means you need to stop being so self-centered!" The words rang in Spencer's ears, eerily reminding her of the things Wren had said to her. "I mean look at you!" Emily gestured towards her. "You have two guys, both of whom would probably jump off a bridge for you, and you're still finding something to stress about. Just stop!"

Spencer's mouth opened, but no noise came out for a second. "Emily, I don't know what I did but-"

"At least they're both still alive, Spencer! How can you not understand that? You have them both! Both of them are waiting for you. Do you want to know what I have? Nothing! Because A or Mona or whoever murdered my girlfriend and then my mom shipped me off the Haiti. You're lucky and you can't even see that! It's not fair!"

Finally, Emily looked away. Spencer watched as Emily angrily swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Warily, Spencer cleared her throat and spoke slowly. "I'm sorry, Emily." Even in her own mind, she recognized how dumb she sounded.

Emily shook her head and let it fall against the couch behind her. "I am so sick of people telling me that they're sorry," she said with a bitter laugh.

Before she could stop herself, Spencer said, "Sorry," and then slapped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Emily, waiting for the other girl to go off again. Surprisingly, the corner's of her mouth turned up as she rolled her eyes. She glanced at Spencer and laughed.

"You look ridiculous." If she had been in the right state of mind, Spencer probably would have been offended, but as it was all she could do was laugh with Emily. The next thing she knew, they were both laying on the floor, their bodies shaking from laughter.

How could they be laughing right then? Spencer couldn't believe them. It wasn't funny. Emily was obviously not coping well with Maya's death. She was actually doing a lot worse than Spencer ever would have expected of her. And Spencer wasn't doing so well either.

Yet here they were, laughing about things that were so blatantly screwed up.

Finally, they began to calm down, their laughter turning into random chuckles until they were both silent on the floor.

"You need to figure it out, Spencer." At least her tone of voice was a lot calmer now, even if all the humor was gone from it. "Figure it out before it's too late." Spencer looked over at Emily, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"Who?"

Emily sighed, looking back at the TV, probably to avoid Spencer's intense gaze. "If I wasn't here, who would you be wishing you were with?"

And in that moment it was obvious. Her mind was hazy and scattered, but she knew what her choice was going to be. Maybe she had known all along, but she had just been too scared to say it because if she said it, nothing would be the same. Still, all it took was hearing those words come out of Emily's mouth for Spencer to make up her mind.

Slowly, her made her way to standing, wobbling a little bit until she caught herself on the back of the couch. Standing up might not have been such a great idea. But still, she had somewhere she needed to be.

"Where are you going?" Emily called out, although not making any move to get up with Spencer.

Where was she going? Anywhere. Anywhere but stuck in this stifling barn. She needed to be alone, away from everyone and everything. But more than she needed to be alone, she needed to be with him. "I can't be here," she answered in a low, frantic voice that sounded nothing like herself. "I need to go outside, clear my head." She needed to make her choice, right then, before she could find another reason to postpone it.

"You're going to see him?"

That wasn't the reason she had stood up, the plan she had made up in her head. But it was what she was going to do. Now that she was on her feet and much closer to leaving, she was absolutely certain that she was going to see someone.

So she asked Emily. "Who?"

If her eyes weren't deceiving her, she could have sworn that there was a smirk on Emily's face when she looked at her. "I think you already know the answer to that." Once more, the choice was obvious in her mind. How had she been so blind as to not see it from the beginning?

It felt like her mind was on repeat, the same thoughts circling around and around until they began to make her feel dizzy. She looked down at her friend, all of a sudden not certain of who she was anymore, of who she had become since Maya's death.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, making Emily look confused. "I'm sorry for not being there for you when you needed me and I'm sorry for being such a crappy friend and I'm sorry that you ever had to go through what you went through. What you're going through. I promise you that I'll change. I won't let it be like last time. I promise."

Already, she felt like she was back on the verge of tears, her emotions rapidly beginning to get away from her again. "It's fine," Emily said calmly, even though Spencer could hear the tremble to her tone. How she was holding herself together so well, Spencer would never know. "You can make it up to me later. Just go do what you need to do."

Not for the first time, Spencer was caught off guard by how selfless Emily was. "I can't leave you here alone," she said quietly, torn between her obligation to stay and her need to leave.

"Spencer, just go." Again, she hesitated. Emily rolled her eyes and added, "If it makes you feel any better, I just texted Hanna and Aria S.O.S. and they'll both be here within ten minutes so it's not like I'm actually going to be alone."

Dumbfounded, Spencer glanced at the door. "I can show you the texts if you want," Emily said as she held her phone up for Spencer to see. Not that she actually needed to see it. Shaking her head, Spencer shrugged.

"I trust you." Her eyes darted to the door and then back. Her body felt sluggish and she still wasn't completely sure what her plan of action was going to be once she walked out the door but she knew that it was what she needed to do.

"Just go, Spencer." She could practically hear the laugh in Emily's voice. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she would make sure Emily laughed more. There was no way things would stay the way that had been now that the summer was coming to an end. Spencer would prove that she was a good friend, prove that she was not self-centered like everyone had been saying. "I'll see you."

Deep down, she knew Emily would be alright. When Spencer got back to the barn, she would be sure to find the three of them asleep on the floor, intertwined like they always ended up. And when she got there, Spencer would certainly join them. But for now, she had to concentrate on getting herself where she needed to be.

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**A/N: Thank you all so much for all of the reviews I got on the last chapter. It was nice to see how many people are actually enjoying this story. Sadly, there's a very good chance this will be the last update until November. I'm right in the middle of a busy semester and I broke the screen of my computer, which makes it really hard for me to read things and/or write. Hopefully, I will be able to update before then, but probably not. In the meantime, review to let me know what you think and what you think will happen next!**

**As always, thanks to the wonderful June Sujare for helping me out and being so patient.**


	20. The Truth

**A/N: Happy November, friends! I hope everyone who lives on the East coast is alright after the hurricane. I know things got a little rough around me but not as bad as they could have been. On a lighter note, I got a new computer and I'm excited to make my first update with it. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it and remember to review!**

**As usual, I can't thank June Sujare enough for getting this back to me so quickly and catching my stupid mistakes.**

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What had started out as a shitty night soon turned into an even shittier next day. After talking with Spencer in the bathroom that morning, Wren hadn't heard from her again. Each hour that passed seemed to drag by, the minutes ticking slowly away second by second as he fought to stop himself from calling her, texting her, showing up at her house. The only thing that restrained him was the understanding that it had to be her choice. For once, he had to let her make a decision about the two of them on her own.

Of course, his mind had been so preoccupied by what she was doing and what she was thinking that he had barely been able to hold his concentration while at work. That probably wasn't the best way to be when working in a hospital. But finally, his shift had ended and he had gone straight home, intent on drinking himself to sleep and then spending the next morning nursing a major hangover and a slightly broken heart.

Not even one hour into his night, however, he was more than a little surprised to hear the sound of someone knocking on his door.

He checked his phone. No new messages, not that he was surprised. The only person who would text him so late would be Spencer anyway. Whoever it was had better have a good excuse for interrupting his pity party. He'd only had one drink so far, and was more than ready to get started on the next. Hopefully, they would be easy to get rid of.

Once he got to the door, any thought of alcohol immediately fled from his mind. Just like her sister, Spencer had the ability to catch him off guard at the most inopportune times.

"Hey,' she said quietly, her eyes wide and wary from where she stood. He had never seen her so apprehensive of him before.

"Hi." He had no idea what to say to her. He had no idea why she was even there. Wasn't she supposed to be with her carpenter, living happily ever after or whatever skewed version of the future she had in her mind. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he remembered how earlier he had known she needed to come back to him on her own. It would appear that he was more than a little conflicted over how he wanted things to be resolved between them.

"Were you busy?" Wren glanced over his shoulder at the lone glass and bottle of whiskey behind him, torn between saying yes or just telling her the truth. "I'm sorry," she mumbled after a beat of silence. "I guess you are. I can just leave."

Wren blinked at the short amount of time she had given him to answer and watched as she turned to walk away. There was something off about her movements, a subtle lack of coordination where she was normally so graceful. "Wait, don't." When she turned to look at him again, her movements were slow, like something was weighing her down.

"Are you okay?"

Spencer nodded, but then her hand went to her face, covering her eyes as she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't think straight right now. I don't even know why I came here." Something in her voice was familiar to him. It was an almost unnoticeable lengthening of her words, something he had only heard in her voice once before.

"Are you drunk?"

Despite himself, he couldn't keep the smirk off his face when she peered through her fingers at him. "No." He gave her an incredulous look and waited for her to continue. "I'm pissed." Again, he couldn't stop himself from grinning at her answer. There were very few things he found more endearing than Spencer drunk. The way she became so uninhibited reminded him of a child, almost to the point that he could imagine what she had once been like years ago, long before he had known her.

"It would appear that you are," he answered her quietly, watching as she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"I'm an idiot."

"I've never met a person who was less of an idiot than you."

Peeking through her fingers again, she tilted her head at him and asked, "What?"

She really was drunk if she couldn't even follow his sentences. "Never mind." He glanced over his shoulder one more time before reluctantly opening the door. "Did you want to come inside?"

Taking a deep breath, Spencer's hand fell away from her face. "You're not mad at me?"

The question made Wren hesitate. Was he mad at her? He had sure felt angry all day, but also sad and confused and more than a little bitter. "I am. But I'm not mad enough to send you away when you're in this drunk. You could get arrested, you know. Public drunkenness is illegal."

Spencer just shrugged. "I am very composed after I've been drinking." And she was. After the amount of alcohol she had snuck at the bar that one night so long ago, he had been amazed that she wasn't on her ass the moment she stood up. "I'm a tank!" A hint of bragging filtered into her voice, making Wren laugh.

"That you are. Quite the opposite of me, actually."

They stood there for a moment, just grinning at each other like idiots until Wren remembered all of the circumstances surrounding their situation that had happened in the past couple of days. "Are you planning on coming in, then?"

Spencer's eyes widened. "Sorry. I am." She moved past him, doing her best to avoid touching him on her way by. The thought that she didn't even want to touch him made him sad and angry all at the same time. How had they gotten to this place?

He shut the door softly behind them, taking in the cautious steps Spencer took towards the couch. For someone who so rarely drank, she was able to control herself much better than most people he had seen.

"Wait, did you walk all the way here by yourself?"

"Yes," she answered shortly, not even giving him another glance as she moved across the room and further away from him. Something about her screamed nervousness, which was probably warranted after how things had gone down between them the previous evening.

For the next couple of minutes, he watched as Spencer wandered in front of his bookshelves, her fingers skimming over the spines of books while he waited for her to say something. Finally, he got impatient of the waiting. "Spencer?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, and the guilt was already written across her face, the same way it had been the night before. The only response she gave him was a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat before her eyes slipped away from his. "Can I ask what you're doing here?"

"I'm…" From the way her voice trailed off, Wren could tell that she didn't even know why she was there. Maybe there wasn't even a real reason. Maybe after the last couple of months she had shown up on his doorstep because it was a habit and the only thing she could think to do after being so heavily under the influence.

"I tried to call Toby but he wouldn't pick up so I came here instead." Instantly, every ounce of anger he had felt towards Spencer since receiving that text message the day before flared up. It must have been apparent on his face too, because as soon as the words left her mouth she was hurrying to explain herself. "No. I didn't mean… I needed to talk to him. I needed to tell him that things aren't going to work out."

It would be safe to say that Wren was confused. Here was Spencer, so obviously fixated on Toby, although he would never understand why, while she was standing in the middle of his living room. "So you came to me as a second choice then?" He heard the bitterness in his own voice, something he hated, but there was nothing he could do to make it stop.

"No! That's not why I'm here at all. I'm…" Again with the not being able to finish her sentences. And once again, he found himself getting impatient with her inability to actually talk to him instead of cryptically standing before him.

"You're what, Spencer?' Now there was an edge in his voice. If she couldn't at least give him a solid answer as to why she was there, then he was going to send her on her way. It was too hard to have her in the house after all the time they had spent there that summer. Even if he had to call a taxi or drive her home himself, she needed to leave if she couldn't even answer the simplest of questions.

"Do you know when the last time I cried was?" Wren paused. Hadn't she just cried last night? Even though she had no right to after she did something like that to him.

Suddenly, he shook his head. How had she managed to distract him so easily? And why would she ask him something like that when she could be sure that he knew the answer? Unless that wasn't what she was talking about. "Besides last night." Apparently, she was able to read his mind now.

"No, I don't."

Her eyes were wide as she refused to look away from him, and suddenly he was curious about what she had to say, curious to see how it related to their situation. "The night they found Maya's body."

"Okay?" Now he was just downright confused. How was the last time she cried relevant in any way to them?

"The last time I cried was the night they found Maya's body. Don't you get what that means?"

For a second, he almost felt obligated to understand what she meant. And then he decided that she was probably just drunkenly spurting out whatever thoughts crossed her mind.

"They found Maya's body and Emily was destroyed. Destroyed. I have never seen her like that before, not even when they found Alison's body. And then I stayed with her that night, listened to the way she couldn't stop crying. It broke my heart to see her go through something like that. But the thing about it was, that the next day, I got to go home. Aria went to sit with her, and I got to go home and see Toby and feel safe and protected while Emily's whole world was shattering."

If he had been confused before, there were no words for what he felt after listening to her mini rant. But now, he was more intrigued by the message she was trying to get across than irritated by her attempt to avoid what they should really be talking about.

"And for awhile, things really really sucked with Emily, so much that I can't even tell you how hard it was to try and get her through that. And that whole time, the only thing that made it better was that I got to go home and see Toby. I got to be happy when I wasn't around her."

He could feel himself beginning to get irritated again by all the talk of the carpenter. As much as he felt bad for what Emily had gone through, he saw no connection between her situation, and the reason Spencer was standing in front of him.

"It's all very well that you can stand here and talk to me about how bloody nice it was to have him around but-"

Spencer cut him off. "No! I'm sorry. Nothing is coming out the way I want it to right now. I feel like I can't think straight." She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, for the first time letting him see how drunk she actually was.

"Well, I would suggest that if you're trying to have a serious conversation with someone you don't drink yourself silly beforehand, but I think it's already too late for you to listen to that advice."

"Wren, can you just stop being an ass for two minutes? I need time to think this through before I can say it."

"And I need to know what it is about him that makes it so impossible for you to let him go." There was nothing really special about him. Wren tried to quell the jealousy inside of him, but as soon as he started to think about it, he couldn't stop. Sure, he had a nice smile and a way with words, but so did Wren. How could she possibly still be hung up on some seventeen-year-old boy who had left her at such a difficult time in her life?

At least he seemed to have managed to snap her out of her stupor. "He was the first boy I ever loved! And at that point, he was the last person I expected to fall in love with. He became the only thing keeping me going. Then, just like that, he was gone and all of the sudden I was alone. Until you found me on the playground when I was confused and lonely and I wasn't expecting to fall in love with you either. But I did."

Wren froze. Was she actually saying what he thought she was saying? She couldn't be. He had to have imagined it. Right?

"I know that there's not even a chance you feel the same way, especially not after yesterday, but I needed to let you know that this was never just some summer fling to me. Even in the beginning, when it was just…what it was, it still meant more to me than that. I might not have wanted to admit it before but it did."

He wanted to say something, anything, but it was like he couldn't. After all of the time he had spent thinking about the fact that he would probably never get a real chance to be with Spencer the way he should, she was telling him that he had been wrong. She had said she was in love with him.

"I do." If he hadn't known her mannerisms so well, he would have missed the slight widening of her eyes at his words, the hint of hope that flashed across her face. All this time, he thought he had been obvious about how he truly felt about her, but once again he had been wrong. "Feel the same way, I mean."

Finally, she seemed to understand what he was saying.

"But why are you telling me all of this when you're about to go back to him, Spencer? That seems extremely cruel, even for a Hastings." It was a low blow. He knew it was, but the words were already out of his mouth before her could stop them. And they weren't exactly unwarranted. She couldn't just waltz in and out of his life, one minute wanting to be with Toby and the next wanting to be with him.

The guilt he felt over his last sentence went unnoticed. "I'm telling you this now because when Emily lost Maya, she was broken. She could barely pull herself together long enough to make it through a class period. That was if she even showed up to school in the first place. But when Toby left, nothing was harder. I didn't have anyone to talk to and I didn't have anyone to spend all my time with, but it was never heart breaking in the way that made me want to put my life on hold."

Drawing in a deep breath, she kept going. "But this morning, I woke up feeling like I got punched in the chest. I have never felt like this before. Never. I had to leave class twice today because I started to cry. And I answered a question wrong." Pausing, Spencer scoffed at herself. "A wrong answer! I haven't answered a question wrong since the first grade."

Of course she would be concerned with something as trivial as an incorrect response when they were having such a serious discussion. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say to you?"

Wren nodded mutely, still processing everything she had just told him. "I believe so," he murmured. "But didn't you just tell me you only came here because Toby didn't answer you?"

Spencer shook her head, starting to look almost desperate with him. "That's not what I meant. I wanted to talk to Toby first. I wanted to stop whatever I started yesterday. I was going to tell him that I made a mistake. I needed him to know that things aren't going to work out between us. They didn't before and they won't now either. I just didn't want anything else left between us. But when he didn't pick up, I knew that there was no way I could go all night without seeing you. Without telling you."

Wren didn't say anything, waiting to see if Spencer would go on. After a couple of seconds, she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I need to sit down," she muttered. Glancing around, she sighed again, and then to Wren's surprise sank down and planted herself on the floor next to the piano.

"I do have a couch, you know."

Her knees were pulled all the way up to her chest, where her head was resting on them and her eyes were closed. The only response she gave him was the wave her hand dismissively. The minutes ticked by slowly, and eventually Wren had to say something.

"Are you okay?"

Spencer just nodded into her knees and mumbled something he couldn't understand.

"Say that again?"

With yet another sigh, she brought her head up and looked at him blearily. "I said that the room is spinning."

"Oh."

Her head landed on her knees again, and they were back to where they started. Forcing himself not to sigh, he walked into the kitchen and got a glass of water. When he got back to the living room, Spencer's head was turned in his direction, and her eyes were barely open enough to see him.

"Drink this."

He held out the glass and waited for her to take it, only sinking down onto the ground a couple feet away from her after it was in her hands. Slowly, she raised the glass to her lips and took a large gulp.

"Small sips."

"I know.' Another exasperated sigh left her lips. "How did things get like this?"

There were so many things he could say in response to that. It was because Toby was back in town. It was because Spencer had never told Wren that Toby was back. It was that she had felt the need to meet with Toby behind Wren's back. Most of all, it was because Spencer was actually willing to leave Wren in order to be with Toby after what he had done to her. But that wasn't something he could say to her. "I know it's my fault. You don't even have to say it. I screwed everything up."

She had. She really had. But not for one second did he believe that they couldn't make it right again. "All of those things you just said to me, abut how you felt, did you actually mean them?"

Finally he had said something to make her look up at him. "Of course I did. What would make you think that I didn't?"

"Because you said before that you wanted to make things between us real and that you wanted to make this work, but as soon as you got an excuse to run, you did."

"I know." When Spencer looked up at him, Wren saw that her eyes were bloodshot, either from lack of sleep or the alcohol or all of the crying she had been doing.

"Why?"

"I don't know," she whispered. She looked around the room as if there was something on the walls that would give her an answer. "I guess I'm scared."

The statement was loaded. He wanted to know why she was so scared, needed to know. But what if he couldn't fix whatever it was she was so frightened of?

"There are other things going on in my life that I don't know if I could even explain to you if I tried."

"What do you mean?"

Hesitation flashed across Spencer's face. The uncertainty made him pause, scared of changing her mind if she did decide to tell him.

"How did you know about me seeing Toby?"

And there it was. Her big secret. The one he had begun figuring out the moment he saw those blackmail photos in her drawer. Even though he was scared of her reaction, he knew the only thing for him to do would be to tell the truth. "Someone sent me a picture last night."

Even though it seemed like Spencer had been expecting that answer, her face still fell. "Let me guess, you didn't know the person who sent it?"

Wren nodded mutely, suddenly nervous about how she was going to react to this new information. "Of course not," she muttered bitterly.

Another silence fell between them, this time slightly tense as Spencer stared at the wall in front of her. "Since we're being honest, I feel there's something I should tell you now."

Slowly, Spencer's gaze fell back on him, for the first time that night slightly defensive or apprehensive or some other emotion that made Wren nervous himself. "A couple weeks ago, I found some photographs in the top drawer of your bedside table." He waited to see what she would say to his omission, knowing there was a good chance she would get angry at him for the first time instead of the other way around.

For a second, it looked like that would be the way things played out. Spencer went from looking confused to surprised to angry just like that. And then suddenly, her face was blank. "You went through my things?"

"Not really?" And technically he hadn't. He'd seen her put them there and it hadn't been very hard to just open the drawer and pull them out. It also hadn't been a very ethical thing to do in the first place. Not that either of them were the most moral people.

"You have every right to be mad at me."

"You're right. I do." Her head shook back and forth slowly, her eyes glued to the floor in front of her. "But I'm not."

Of course she wasn't. She might have something different to say in the morning when common sense took over, but for now, her easy acceptance of his snooping would do. "I only did it because I was worried about you. I saw the look on your face when I came into your room that day. I had never seen you look so…frightened before. I thought that maybe there was something I could do. It was impulsive and foolish, but I looked in the envelope anyway."

There was a beat of silence between them, a pause where they both waited for the other to say something. When it became apparent that it wasn't going to be Spencer who talked first, Wren said what had been on his mind ever since that day.

"Someone's trying to hurt you."

Bitterly, Spencer laughed. "Like that's new," she muttered.

"Do you know who it is?"

Wren had never seen Spencer look frightened before, at least not in the startlingly real way she looked right then. There was something about the way eyes looked almost frantic and the expression on her face showed a sort of hopelessness that made him scared. What could be so bad that it had such an affect on someone as fearless as Spencer.

"Mona Vanderwaal?"

The look on Spencer's face quickly shifted to one of disgust. "She's been on lock down at Radley since that night." Her eyes quickly slid away from him, showing him exactly how unwilling she still was to talk about what had happened. That was only one of the things Wren wished he was able to make her feel better about.

"You think she wasn't working alone?"

Just as suddenly as it had disappeared, the fear returned to Spencer's face, even though he knew she was trying to hide it. She shrugged her shoulders and let her head fall back onto her knees. Something incomprehensible came out of her mouth and Wren leaned closer. "What was that?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it anymore," she said more clearly. "If I think about it too much, about what it really means, I won't be able to keep myself together." Her eyes settled back on his and suddenly she was back to looking dejected. "Can we just go back to talking about us?"

Hearing that she would prefer to talk about their situation rather than their relationship made Wren realize just how bad it was. "If that's what you want," he said quietly, unsure about what was going to come out of her mouth next.

There was still a distance between them that he hated, that he felt down to his very bones. They were meant to be close to one another, always oriented around the other's body, not sitting across the room from one another in silence. He craved the closeness that was normal for them.

"What if I was pregnant?" Spencer said suddenly, making Wren's heart stopped. There was no way she could be pregnant. Well, there was a way, but they had been careful and he couldn't even comprehend the thought that she might actually be having a baby.

"I mean, I'm not, but what if I was?"

"I, I…" Wren tried to calm down a little. "I mean, what?"

Spencer shook her head. "Do we even have a chance of this working? I mean, I couldn't even make it through one ex-boyfriend without freaking out. What if I get pregnant? What if whoever is trying to hurt me goes after you? What's going to happen when my parents find out? There are so many things that could happen. Everything is working against us. Is it even worth it to try?"

For a second, Wren wasn't even able to form a coherent thought. Thoughts of unexpected babies and stalkers and Mr. Hastings were jumbling up his mind and scaring the vinegar out of him. The whole time, Spencer's eyes gazed at his face, waiting for him to answer. "You're not pregnant?'

Surprisingly, Spencer laughed at his question. "No. No, I'm not. I don't even know why I said that. It was just an example."

Wren nodded and swallowed. "You shouldn't say those things."

Spencer laughed again and then suddenly she was kneeling in front of him, her hands on either side of his face. In front of him, her eyes were slightly unfocused, the intoxication still apparent on her face, even though it was obvious how hard she was trying to fight it.

"I want this to work," she said, and without hesitation, Wren believed her. "I think that there are so many things that are going to get in our way, but we don't have to let them."

"Spencer…"

"Please forgive me." Her thumbs brushed across his cheeks right before she leaned her forehead against his. "Please."

"Spencer…" he repeated

"No, don't." Spencer's words were rushed as she stared at him. "I'm so sorry for yesterday. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the minute I knew he was back and I'm sorry for ever believing that I could go back to him. There is nobody but you. You're who I want to be with. No one else. And I know you're angry with me, but please forgive me. I don't know what I'll do without you."

There was nothing Wren wanted more then to believe her and love her and be with her. Still, something was holding him back from completely letting it go. And then she shook her head, trying to get the hair out of her face and in the process displacing the ponytail that had been covering the mark on her neck. He had no idea how he hadn't seen it until right then.

It was darker than he remembered it, black and blue and dark pink, slowly fading lighter until it gradually returned to the color of her skin. He was quite sure he had never felt guiltier about something in his entire life. That included cheating on Melissa. It was something so completely different than the tiny marks he had left before, something serious and primitive that made him angrier with himself than he was with her.

Without realizing what he was doing, his fingers were tracing over the bruise carefully, watching her face as she did it. "Can you forgive me?"

Spencer's hand flew up and settled on top of his. "There's nothing to forgive."

"Spencer," he sighed.

"No. I'm serious. I know you would never do anything to hurt me. You were angry because I was being an idiot. I understand why you did it. I'm yours. I. Am. Yours. You don't need to worry about this." Her hand pressed against his, making his palm press harder into her neck. "I'm yours. If you still want me."

This time, the desperation and hope in her voice convinced him. As much as she pissed him off and did things that drove him crazy, he knew that he wouldn't be able to function without her. And he didn't have to. "Okay," he said quietly.

"Okay?"

He nodded his head and let his forehead rest against hers. "Okay."

Right in front of him, her eyelids fluttered shut even as she began grinning. "Thank you." She pressed her lips against his. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," she repeated in between kisses. Her mouth opened, deepening the kiss as she moved so that she was straddling his lap. For a minute, Wren kissed her back, relieved to finally be able to touch her again, to feel her skin underneath his fingers. But still, he couldn't let her push it any further.

Pulling back, he looked her in the eye. "Can I say something?"

Even though she didn't seem too happy about not kissing him, she leaned back and nodded her head. "Of course."

Taking a deep breath, he felt the smile creep onto his face. "I love you too," he murmured.

Instantly, Spencer looked astounded. Her mouth opened, even though no words came out, and she leaned away from him a little bit more. It took a minute or so, but then the corners of her mouth perked up as she said, "Too?"

He nodded. "Too." It was easy to see from her wrinkled forehead that she didn't fully comprehend. "You said earlier that you were in love with me, which would typically mean that you love me. So I just wanted to make sure that you know I love you too. For quite a bit actually."

Spencer's face took on a look of understanding. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"You did," he laughed. "You weren't joking were you?"

Teasingly, she bumped her shoulder into his. "Of course I wasn't!" She grinned and added, "I do."

"You do what?"

One of her eyebrows shot up at his question. It was endearing, the way she smiled shyly and once again let her forehead rest against his. "I love you," she whispered. "I. Love. You." Her nose brushed against his and she looked at him expectantly.

"And I love you."

She grinned at his words, kissing him again and again until her hands were creeping down his chest and settling on his belt. "No." His hand caught her wrist and pushed it away from his body. "I don't want…"

Again, Spencer just looked at him blearily, her expression confused. "What? Why?"

Wren shook his head and brushed his lips against hers. "It's not that I don't want to."

"Then why-?"

"I can't take advantage of you like that."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "You're such a gentleman. But you wouldn't be taking advantage of me. I promise."

Wren laughed. "That's not the only reason." He paused, searching her eyes for any sign that she agreed with him. "This time has to be different. I want things to be different."

Spencer's forehead wrinkled. "Different how?"

"Last time, we moved too fast. We didn't take the time that we needed. What's the phrase you use here? Zero to sixty in under three seconds? That was us. There was no anticipation or waiting."

"We waited," Spencer protested before looking slightly guilty. "We tried anyway."

"We did. But we still moved too fast."

She grinned and leaned into him again, her hands resting against his chest. "It was probably my fault. I can be pushy."

"Can be?" She shook her head and look away with a smile on her face.

"Alright. Maybe I'm usually pushy."

"Usually?"

"Or always?"

Wren grinned. "Always," he said surely, his hands brushing over the skin of her sides again.

"But that's one of the things you love about me right?" The words were so new that they still caught Wren off guard. Hopefully, he would never lose that feeling of excitement when it came to their feelings for each other.

"Maybe," he teased.

"Maybe?"

"Probably."

"Probably?" Somehow, Spencer shifted herself even closer to him, her arms winding around his neck and holding him gently.

"Alright, definitely." One of his favorite things to do was engage in their easy banter, the back and forth making him love her all the more.

"That's what I thought," she murmured, catching his bottom lips between hers and tugging on it gently. "Are you sure we can't do the whole starting different thing tomorrow?"

For a second, Wren was tempted. He was very tempted. But then he remembered that if they had sex that night, they would wake up naked the next morning and have sex again, leading them into a cycle in which they never actually got the fresh start they needed. So he kissed her back for a while, but then eventually pulled back. "I'm positive."

Groaning, she rolled her eyes and pouted at him. "But I've missed you."

Wren laughed. Apparently the last time she had been drunk and so ready to sleep with him hadn't been a one-time thing. It would appear that drunk Spencer was also horny Spencer. Not that he was surprised. "I missed you too. But that will make it that much better when it actually does happen again."

Spencer rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're being a girl again. What guy actually wants to wait?"

"The guy who actually wants things to work out."

That made her pause. She looked at his eyes, obviously not completely understanding why he was insisting on it, but also looking ready to give in to the request.

"Okay," she said simply. "If that's what you want." Her forehead wrinkled again and she continued, "Does that mean you want me to go home?"

"No." Wren shook his head and sighed. "I couldn't send you away even if I tried."

Her eyebrows shot up as she smirked. "So you want me to spend the night and you expect nothing to happen between us?"

"That's exactly what I want. That means you have to learn to keep your hands to yourself. Do you think you can do that?"

Spencer shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I guess." She dragged the word out, sounding jokingly exasperated.

Wren waited for her to look back at his face, and then grabbed her hands. "Thank you," he said, squeezing her hands and trying to convey how serious he was without words. "It means a lot."

This time, Spencer shrugged and looked away more out of a slight embarrassment than anything else. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." The statement floored Wren, how easily and sincerely it flowed out of her mouth. "So what are we going to do now?" The way she didn't make any reference to the way she so simply cared for him surprised him as well, even though she had always been that type of person. This time, it felt more real, more serious between them, more likely to actually have a chance of working.

Taking in the almost hidden circles under her eyes and the way her eyelids look heavy, he knew what they needed to do. "Go to bed?"

"Bed?" Spencer's voice was tired and hopeful, making Wren want to pick her up and carry her to bed.

"Bed," he answered. "Let's go."

"Okay," she answered without hesitation. Wearily, she got to her feet and waited for him to stand next to her. Once he had, she grabbed his fingers lightly, intertwining their fingers as they moved towards the stairs. He loved the way it felt to hold her hand, the way her grip was soft, yet forceful.

When they got to his room, they fell into the same routine they had followed so many nights before. As she pushed her skirt off of her hips, he handed her one of his shirts, loving to way she looked in his clothes. Her blouse quickly hit the floor, and was soon followed by her bra, before she slipped his shirt over her head.

He got changed quickly as well, eager to be in bed with her. When he turned around, Spencer was already under the covers, looking up at him expectantly until he moved to join her. Once he was settled and lying on their sides to face each other, Wren slipped his hand over her waist, urging her closer to him until their feet were intertwined and their noses were almost touching.

"Are you going to be here when I wake up in the morning?" There was a barely masked sense of vulnerability in Spencer's voice, something he knew he had caused that very morning by walking out on her. Not that he would make her feel even worse by telling her that. There wasn't anything that could prove he loved her more than the way he would always be willing to take the blame for what happened between them, even when she didn't ask him to.

"Of course I will," he murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead and tightening his arms around her. They were going to try to make things work this time. They were going to make things work. It was gong to be difficult, but he was positive that neither of them would stop trying.

Spencer buried her face in his neck, letting her body relax against his and reminding him of a child again. In her exhausted, drunken state, she was suddenly reverting back to that same state of innocence, when he was sure things had been at least a bit less complicated for her than they were now.

"Wren?"

For a second before she had said his name, he had thought that she had already fallen asleep, her breaths deep and even next to him. "Mhm?" he replied.

"I still love you."

Those words were really going to take some getting used to. And he was sure that he would never get sick of hearing them. "I still love you too."

Against his chest, he felt Spencer smile. "Good," she mumbled. "And you'll still love me tomorrow?"

"Most definitely."

"Promise?" Once again, he was reminded of a child and he relished in the knowledge that even though she was drunk and they would most likely have to repeat their entire conversation the next morning, she had finally quit lying to herself about what was truly between them.

"I promise. Now why don't you try to get to sleep?"

Spencer let out a contented sigh. "Okay," she muttered. And just like that, she was out.


	21. The End

**A/N: Finally, we're at the last chapter! I cannot thank everyone who has read and reviewed since the very beginning. It means so much to know that people actually enjoy what I've written. You guys are the best.**

**As always, I can't thank June Sujare enough for putting up with me for so long. I don't think this would have half as good without her. **

* * *

The only thing Spencer could fully comprehend when she woke up the next day was that it was early in the morning. There was sunlight on her face and she could hear a bird chirping outside. It would have been perfect, except she felt like she was dying of thirst and her head was pounding.

Just like that, the events of the past two days came flooding back into her mind. Sitting up quickly, she only paused when she saw Wren's sleeping body settled on the bed next to her. He was on his stomach, his head turned away from her, but at least he had stayed like he had promised.

Letting out a small groan, she flopped back down onto the bed, reaching above her head and pulling a pillow over her face to try to block the light out. This was why she didn't like to drink. It never failed that she woke up with a bad taste in her mouth and a feeling of regret. Thankfully, she remembered everything that had happened the night before. Hopefully, Wren still felt the same way.

She reached over to the bedside table and grabbed her phone. Of course, she had been a mess at one point and called Toby roughly 500 times before deciding to go to Wren's. Rolling onto her side, she looked over at him to see if she had disturbed him. Not yet. He hadn't even budged with her awakening. She was still amazed at how deeply he slept.

With a yawn, she checked her phone for messages. What she saw on the screen made her heart drop. Six missed calls and eleven text messages. Plus two voicemails. Right away, she dialed her voicemail and squeezed her eyes shut when she heard Toby's voice on the other end.

The memory of crying into her phone last night surfaced in her mind. Maybe she hadn't remembered everything right away. No wonder he sounded so frantic in his message. He probably hadn't been able to understand a word she said. Shaking her head, she deleted the message and then the one after that, which was also from him. The first thing she needed to do was make things right with Toby before she could even think of actually being with Wren. There couldn't be any loose ends this time.

All of the texts were from Toby as well with the exception of one from Emily telling her that Aria and Hanna had made it to her house and were going to spend the night. She checked the time. It was only 8:03 in the morning. They would probably all be asleep still when she got back. But she couldn't leave without saying goodbye.

"Wren,"she whispered, running her fingers over his back lightly. No response. Why did he have to be such a heavy sleeper? "Wren," she repeated in a louder voice, this time scooting closer to him and pressing her lips against his shoulder.

"Mhm?"

Grinning, she brushed her nose against his skin. "Are you awake?"

For a second, she was certain he had fallen back asleep, but then he was turning his head slowly to look at her. "Yes. Wide awake. Just with my eyes closed," he said roughly. She could hear the sleep still lingering in his voice but his words made her smile. If there had been any resentment left over from their conversation the night before, she would have been able to hear it in his voice the moment he opened his mouth.

"I have to go," she whispered quietly, watching the way his expression went from tired and sarcastic to serious and wary. "But I'll be back. There are some things I need to take care of."

"Things?"

"Yeah." They stared at each other for a second, both knowing what she was talking about, but neither of them wanting to say it out loud.

"When will you be back?" he finally responded.

Inching even closer to him, she brushed her lips against his. "I don't know." This time, she placed a firmer kiss on his mouth, before pulling away. "As soon as I can."

"Promise?" That one word reminded her of the same thing she had said to him before.

"Promise," she answered softly, kissing him one last time before rolling away.

As she got ready, slipping his shirt off and pulling her clothes back on, she could feel his eyes on her back. She glanced over her shoulder at him and grinned. "Why are you staring at me?"

Wren smiled back at her and shook his head. "Everything we talked about last night, you meant it right?"

There was vulnerability there, something that made Spencer's heart clench at the realization that it was her that had caused it. "Yeah," she murmured. "I meant it all."

"Good," he nodded at her, making sure to keep his eyes trained on hers. Eventually though, she looked away, intent on leaving so she could finish what she started and come back that much sooner.

"Spencer?"

Where was her other shoe? She was fairly certain it had made it up into the bedroom with them but she couldn't see it anymore. "Yeah?" she answered distractedly.

There it was, shoved halfway under the bed. "Maybe we should do the whole starting over thing tomorrow?"

Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "You mean...?" she managed to ask, twisting around and looking at him.

Wren didn't even wait for her to finish before he was nodding. His eyes flicked back and forth between hers, and she could see how serious he was. "Okay," she said softly as she slipped her shoe on. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

She didn't know what possibly could have changed his mind, but at the moment, she really couldn't find it in herself to care. All that mattered was that they were together and he had forgiven her for being such an ass. She kissed him goodbye softly and left, trying to keep the grin off of her face the entire time.

* * *

When she walked into the barn, she wasn't surprised to find Aria and Hanna sprawled out on the floor while Emily slept on the couch. It looked like Emily had barely even moved since Spencer had left. Taking in the empty bottle on the table next to the tanner girl, she sighed. It was killing her to see Emily going through such a rough time, especially when she was usually so strong. She was going to do everything in her power to make sure Emily got through what she was going through, even if she acted like she didn't want the help.

Grabbing the bottle, she shoved it into the trashcan so her parents would have nothing to nag her about if they happened to stop by the barn. Which they most likely wouldn't, but she knew that she couldn't be too careful anymore. She tried to clean up the counters quietly, wiping them down quickly and throwing all the trash away. All the while, she tried to think of what she was going to say to Toby when she saw him.

"Spencer?"

Jumping, Spencer spun around and saw Emily sitting up blearily on the couch. "Are you just getting home?"

Like that didn't make her feel like a walk-of-shame whore. She tried in vain to discreetly smooth the wrinkles in her skirt before nodding. "Yes," she answered cautiously, suddenly keenly aware of Emily's rampant emotions the night before.

"Where were you?"

Something in Emily's voice reminded Spencer of how the other girl had sounded as a child. Curious and innocent and someone who thought the world of Spencer. What would Emily have to say if she knew that Spencer had spent the night at Wren's? Had she actually meant the things she had said last night? Or would she get mad at the choice Spencer was making? Emily and Toby were friends, after all, and surely she didn't want to see him hurt, especially at the hands of Spencer.

"Wren's," Spencer finally admitted, holding her breath until Emily nodded slowly.

The other girl ran her fingers through her hair and yawned. "I figured."

"You did?"

Nodding, Emily yawned again. "Of course I did. I know you and I know you're not going to let go of whatever it is between the two of you without a fight." Spencer nodded slowly and Emily continued, "How did it go?"

Great. It had gone great. Minus the part where she had been drunk, but still. She loved Wren and now he knew and the best part was that he loved her back. It was something she had suspected for awhile, but hearing it out loud had changed everything. He loved her.

"Great," she breathed, echoing her thoughts as the corners of her mouth tugging upward before she could control herself.

Emily's face remained neutral as Spencer waited for her to say something else. "Have you talked to Toby?"

Instantly, Spencer felt her face fall. "Not yet." As much as she knew she was meant to be with Wren, it made her sad to have to hurt Toby like she needed to. "I stopped here to check on you and get changed. Then I'm going."

Again, Emily nodded and looked away. For a second, Spencer shifted awkwardly. Was that all that was going to be said between the two of them? But then Emily was looking back up at her with a sad expression on her face. "You're not making the wrong choice, Spencer."

Ever since she had made up her mind, Spencer hadn't felt doubtful about it at all. "I know," she whispered.

Much to her surprise, Emily kept talking. "You're brave."Her voice was still low and sad, a tone Spencer wasn't really used to hearing from her. "Much braver than I would be in the same situation."

It broke her heart to hear such things from her friend. Spencer didn't know exactly when Emily had become such a depressed and self critical person, but she hated it. "That's not true," she finally managed to answer. "But thank you."

A second silence fell between them and Spencer could practically feel the things that were going unsaid between them. If she could, she would sit in that room with Emily for the entire day, working through every issue they had until things were back to being the way they had been before. Until Emily was on her way to being happy again. But she still needed to talk to Toby and then go see Wren and figure out what to do about A.

"Go," Emily said, almost like she could read Spencer's mind. "Text me tomorrow morning. We'll talk then."

Spencer nodded in agreement and watched as Emily turned her face into the back of the couch and closed her eyes. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," she whispered. Stepping over Aria and then Hanna, both of whom hadn't moved an inch since she walked in, she left the barn, pulling out her phone to text Toby.

**Can you meet me for coffee at 11? **That would give her enough time to get cleaned up and presentable before seeing him. She didn't want what was most likely going to be his last impression of her to be a grimy one.

His reply came almost instantly. **Of course. Are you okay? I c****an't wait to see you. **The response made her frown. Knowing Toby like she did, she knew from the quick answer that he was actually excited about seeing her. Like that didn't make her feel even guiltier. Choosing not to answer, she concentrated on pulling herself together.

It didn't take her long to get changed, brushing through her tangled hair and frowning at how unkempt she looked. She couldn't even remember the last time she had taken a shower. Despite herself, she found herself grinning like an idiot at herself in the mirror as her mind wandered. The things that Wren was doing to her.

By the time she got to the coffee shop, her excitement at going back to Wren was pushed to the back of her mind. Instead, she could feel the nervous energy pulsing through her. Why was she so anxious? It wasn't like they were actually together again. It wasn't like they were breaking up. She had never said that they were together again, not really. But she had implied it. She knew that she had led him on and hated that she would be letting him down when she saw him.

"Spencer!"

Her head whipped around at the sound of her name and even though she feebly attempted to smile, her heart sank at the happy expression on his face. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the sound of his motorcycle alerting her to his arrival. As he drew closer, his helmet tucked under his arm, she tried to arrange her face into some sort of normalcy.

"Are you okay? I was asleep when you called last night and didn't realize my phone was off. Is everything alright? What happened?"

The barrage of questions made her head spin. "No, no. Everything's fine. I'm sorry about...that. I didn't mean to worry you."

"What's wrong?" Of course he could tell something was wrong with her. He settled down on the seat next at her with a worried expression on his face.

Shaking her head, she avoided meeting his eyes. It made it that much worse to see him that concerned about her. Hesitantly, she said, "We need to talk."

There was a beat of silence and then Toby quietly answered, "I know."

"You do?"

For the first time, Spencer looked at his face directly, letting herself be slightly hopeful. Was it possible that she hadn't led him on as much as she thought she had? "Toby…" She trailed off, not sure of exactly how to say what she needed to say.

"You don't need to say anything, Spencer." And just when she thought that he already knew they wouldn't be getting back together that day, he leaned over and kissed her.

Wrong. That was the first thing that crossed her mind when she felt his lips press against her. His hand settled on her knee and she could feel the serious set to his mouth, like everything was riding on that moment. It was exactly what she had hoped he wouldn't do. As soon as she really comprehended what was happening, she pulled away.

"Spencer?" She looked up to meet his eyes, her heart constricting when they were blue instead of brown. "Are you okay?" Nodding, she felt her eyes fill with tears for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past two days. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried so much.

"I'm sorry," she managed to whisper, her forehead wrinkling as she tried not to let herself break down in front of him. "I'm so stupid," she whispered, more to herself than out loud. Her hands covered her face before she shook her head, trying to pull herself together.

"Spencer. Hey, Spencer," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders and he bent closer to try and catch her eye. "What's wrong? What happened?"

She shook her head."I can't do this,"she whispered."I'm sorry."She drew in a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, flinching when his hand settled on her cheek.

"You don't have to be upset, Spencer. Let me help you."

Her mouth opened but it took a minute before she could get the words out. "There's someone else," she finally admitted.

Toby didn't say anything for a minute, and she couldn't bring herself to look at his reaction either. Her eyes were trained on the ground even though she could feel his gaze on her face. "I know," he answered quietly, making her slowly look up at him.

"What?"

He stared at her, refusing to look away. "I saw you with him the other night." She sniffed, not able to wrap her head around the fact that he already knew. "I had just gotten back and I saw you with him near the movies."

Her mind flashed back to that night. She and Wren had gone to see a movie. Or at least tried. They hadn't even been five minutes into it when she was in his lap. Thankfully, they'd decided to sit in the back corner where no one could see them. Hopefully. They hadn't even noticed that it had ended, only pulling away from each other when the lights came back on. They had started laughing right then, continuing almost hysterically until they were outside and he had pressed her against the wall in the alley next to the theatre, kissing her deeply and making the air between them tense with desire.

She blinked, her eyes beginning to clear a little bit, before she looked up at him. "We're sleeping together," she whispered, immediately regretting it. Her entire body froze. She had no idea what had possessed her to say that out loud. It was even worse when she saw the hurt look pass over Toby's face. Sex was a subject they had never even broached when they had been together, much less even come close to doing.

"I thought so."

Her eyebrows drew together. "You did?"

He nodded slowly. "I could tell from the way you were...with each other." Her mind wandered back again, her cheeks turning red as she remembered the way they had almost ripped each other's clothes off that night. They had only stopped when a car beeped in the street, making them spring away from each other. They had laughed the entire way back to his house, falling onto the couch and finishing what they had started in the theatre.

"Spencer, I don't care about that. It's fine. I'm here now. It doesn't matter."

Looking up in surprise, her head slowly shook back and forth. "It does. It matters to me."

Shaking his head, he grabbed her hands. "You don't have to be upset about it. I understand. I left you here and you turned to someone you trusted. It doesn't have to mean anything. I told you I didn't want you to wait for me. I didn't even know if I was going to be able to make it back here." She gently tried to pull away from him, but his hold on her was too tight.

It was still amazing to her to see the way he was interpreting things. "I don't think you understand," she whispered. "It did mean something. It does." She paused, knowing the next thing she was going to say would change everything. "It means everything to me."

There was a pregnant pause between them. "Means?" he questioned, a look of realization beginning to settle on his face.. Her head bobbed up and down in agreement.

"Means." Her eyes flashed between his, searching for his reaction. "Toby, I never meant to lead you on." This time, when she tried to pull her hands away from him he let her, his eyes already beginning to look less friendly as he listened to her. "When you left, I was, I was in a really bad place. I was isolating myself from everyone and just… not in a good state of mind." The time between Toby leaving and Wren finding her on the playground really had been a miserable time for her. "But then he found me and he brought me back from that. When you came back, I think I lost sight of what he did for me and what he means to me." Her heart was pounding as she thought about what she had to say next. "This, us, it's not going to work out."

He was silent, avoiding looking her in the eyes, and she could tell from the look on his face that he was doing his best to stay calm. "I don't understand," he said, finally looking back at her. "I thought you wanted to give us another chance."

"I did," she whispered slowly. "Or I thought I did." Her mind worked furiously to think of how to explain it best to him. "I didn't realize how strong my feelings for him had gotten until I told him about you and I."

"You told him?" Spencer nodded, knowing how his thought process was unfolding. She had never told Toby about Wren when they were together. She had made Emily do it, being to cowardly to face it herself. And Emily thought Spencer was the brave one. "You love him," Toby said. Obviously something that had taken her month to figure out was apparent to him within five minutes. His voice was conflicted, torn between anger and sadness. Either way, she knew she couldn't answer him, not wanting to do even more damage than she already was. "Do you still love me?"

There was a tense beat of silence between them before she inhaled deeply and decided the truth was her only option. "I honestly don't know." She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away. "I think... I think I was still in love with that we were. Before..." She ran her fingers over her hair, letting her hand trail down her ponytail and start tugging at it nervously.

"Before I left you," he said in a matter of fact way. Nervously, she began to play with her hair, only glancing up when she heard him breath out loudly. His eyes were fixed on her neck, even after she attempted to smooth her hair back down to cover what he was looking at.

"You were with him after we met up." It wasn't a question as he looked at her with accusation in his eyes. She didn't answer, knowing her silence would be more than enough to confirm his suspicions. "So this is what you want?"

Nodding, this time Spencer didn't avoid his gaze. "Yes. This is what I want."

Toby looked at her with that same mixture of anger and sadness, conflicting with one another while he did his best to not show his emotions so translucently. "So you're going to go back to him now?"

She wasn't planning on going right then; there was one other thing she needed to take care of before she could go back to Wren's. But still, Toby didn't need to know that.

"Yes."

Out of nowhere, she got to urge to hug him, if only out of reflex for all those other times she had wrapped her arms around him when he was upset. Before she could reach him though, he leaned back, away from her, obviously not wanting any physical contact between them.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to…"

"No," he cut her off. "Don't. Just… I need to just…"

Frowning, Spencer crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."

Toby just shook his head, staring across the road and not answering her for a second. 'I just, I have to go. I'll see you around, Spencer." Slowly, he stood up and turned away from her.

"I'll see you," she murmured. She watched as he walked away from her. It really did kill her to know that she was behind causing him pain like that, especially when she had been the one to lead him on in the first place. She didn't know what she possibly could have been thinking in the first place.

After a couple of minutes, she realized that she had been sitting there alone awkwardly for a little bit too long. Slowly, she made her way back to her car, barely even noticing as she drove home. Once she got there, she sat in the driveway for a second, trying to organize what she needed to do next.

Since Toby was more or less taken care of, as harsh as that sounded, she needed to think about A again. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that A would do whatever it took to ruin her newfound relationship with Wren. And that was something she couldn't let happen.

Before, when she and Wren had decided to make things real between them, she had decided that she was going to tell her parents as soon as she saw them. But then they had actually gotten home and she had panicked when her mother brought the fact that she was seeing someone up. This time, though, she couldn't get distracted. They had to hear it from her before A showed them the harsh reality behind it.

"Mom?" Placing her purse on the kitchen counter, she wandered down the hallway towards her mother's office. Her car was in the driveway so Spencer knew she was home. "Mom?"

"In here, Spence." At least it sounded like she was in a good mood. She only ever used that nickname when something good had happened. And now Spencer was about to ruin that.

Making sure that her hair covered the mark on her neck, she pushed open the door and stepped into the office. Veronica Hastings was sitting behind her desk, only glancing up to smile at Spencer before looking back at her computer screen.

"Where have you been all morning? I figured you would have been up and about before now."

If only she knew what Spencer had actually been up to since she woke up. "Sorry. Emily and I slept in the barn last night."

Finally, her mother glanced up, giving Spencer a reproachful look. "You know how your sister feels about you staying out there."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Spencer shrugged. "Sorry," she muttered.

"I didn't even realize Emily was back. Did you two have plans today?" Her voice was distracted as she typed something on the computer.

"Yeah, I don't know. We might go to the mall or something later." Spencer made that up, eager to get the part she really wanted to talk about. "Mom, I need to tell you something. Before someone else does."

That got her mother's full attention. For a second, she stared at Spencer, an alarmed expression on her face before asking, "What is it, Spencer?"

Spencer couldn't help but think there was a slightly exasperated hint in her voice. "I…" As she trailed off, she tried to shake the apprehension she felt about letting her mother know about her relationship with a significantly older doctor. If circumstances had been different, she could have imagined her mother being overjoyed, rather than angry.

"Oh, Jesus. You're not pregnant, are you?"

Spencer really did roll her eyes this time. "No, Mom. I'm not pregnant. I'm…" It was a lot harder to actually come out and say it than she had thought it would be. But it would be that much worse if those picture A had sent her landed on her mom's desk. "You know how Melissa told you I was seeing someone?"

If she wasn't mistaken, Spencer could have sworn she saw a flash of uncertainty cross her mom's face. "Yes?"

This was the moment she had been waiting for. It was now or never. She couldn't keep stalling any longer. "It's Wren."

Silence. With an unreadable expression on her face, Veronica stared at Spencer. The younger girl stared back, fighting to hold her ground even though the last time she remembered getting a look like that was when she had kissed Wren the first time.

"Wren Kingston."

Because there were so many other Wrens she could be talking about. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Spencer nodded slowly, trying to gauge where her mother was on the scale from 1 to furious.

"Melissa's Wren?"

"He's not Melissa's." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, sharp and defensive at the thought that Wren could belong with anyone but her.

The tone of Spencer's voice made Veronica raise her eyebrows.

"You and Wren have been…seeing each other? All summer? He's the one Melissa told me about?" Of course she wouldn't come right out and say what she was thinking. Spencer and Wren had been having sex all summer.

"Yes." The word was barely a whisper, a tiny utterance in the face of a barrage of words that she was sure were about to flood out of her mother's mouth. But that flood never came. Instead there was just a defeated look as her mother shook her head.

"Spencer, I…" Veronica Hastings was rarely at a loss for words, but for once, her youngest daughter had put her there. "I don't even know how to answer that. What were you thinking? What are you thinking?"

Shrugging, Spencer wrapped her arms around herself and let her mind wander back to that day on the playground, back to the first time they had kissed, back to the day they had met. What had she been thinking?"

"I wasn't," she said quietly, suddenly aware about how true that statement was for her. She was a Hastings. Nothing was taken lightly in her life. To avoid regret, every decision was painstakingly made and she could only reach an end after deliberating endlessly. Except for Wren. There hadn't even been a second thought when it came to the two of them. Not when they kissed, not when they slept together, not even when she fell in love with him. Every decision when it came to him was so easy she didn't even know she was making it in the first place.

Veronica rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "No, you most certainly weren't." At first, Spencer was tempted to apologize like she did for everything else in her life. And then she realized that there wasn't anything for her to be sorry for. She had said her fair share of apologies to Melissa the first time around, but this time was different. It wasn't her fault that she had the feelings she did. It wasn't her fault that Wren loved her and it most definitely wasn't her fault that she loved him back.

"Does your sister know?"

Of course, it went back to Melissa just like it normally did. "Yes," she whispered.

"She does?" Her tone was incredulous, even as Spencer nodded before she was finished speaking. "When…?" This time, Spencer felt her cheeks begin to burn at the thought.

"She came home early from vacation and we were together…" She didn't elaborate on what they had been doing or where they had been doing it. She was sure that her mother could figure it out for herself."

There was a beat of silence as Spencer saw the gears working in Veronica's head. Finally, the woman was shaking her head and glaring up at her. "That's something you want to do to her after all she's going through?"

"All _she's _been through," Spencer said incredulously. "What about everything I've been through? Does none of that count for anything. Why don't I get to be happy?"

Briefly, she thought her mother was going to reciprocate, fight back, but then her face softened. "He makes you happy?"

"Yes." Shifting uncomfortably, Spencer shrugged. Her family didn't discuss feelings. They talked about the cold facts, the realities of life, not how those things made them feel. Despite that, she knew that her mother loved her. She knew the older woman would do anything for her. Spencer knew that deep down she did just want her to be happy. And if convincing her mother was going to take talking about her feelings, then that was what she was going to do.

"I saw him a couple times after Melissa broke off the engagement. We never really planned it, but we kept running into one another. Nothing happened with us until this summer. I was upset about everything that had happened. Maya was dead and Emily was gone and then Toby left. And one day when I was sitting there thinking about all those things that had happened, he found me. I was driving myself crazy and I think he could tell. But when I was with him, I felt more like myself. I never expected things to get serious. At first, I thought it was more of a distraction than anything. It wasn't until recently that I figured out exactly what it meant to me." She took a deep breath and kept going. "I never meant to hurt Melissa. But I'm not going to break things off with him just to save her feelings. I turn eighteen in a couple of weeks. If I have to, I'll leave or…"

Her last sentence seemed to spark something in Veronica, who waved her hand dismissively and scoffed. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Spencer. You're not moving out." After a second of deliberation, she added, "I'm sure Melissa's not happy about this."

Of course she wasn't. Spencer dreaded the day when she had that conversation with her sister. She could already see the tears and the screaming and the histrionics that would come from the older girl.

In the meantime, Veronica eyes had turned back to the computer, staring unseeingly at the screen as she thought over what Spencer had just told her. The entire time, Spencer waited, scared of whatever ultimatum she was sure she was going to be faced with when her mom gathered her thoughts. Finally, Veronica opened her mouth and started talking. "As much as I don't like this, Spencer, there's nothing I can tell you that will convince you to stop it, is there? We tried to keep you away from Toby and the girls and it just never worked. All it did was make you more determined to see them. I'm not going to tell you that you can't see him because I know you would figure out a way somehow."

Something in Spencer's face must have alerted the older woman to how hopeful the statement made her because she immediately continued, "I'm not saying you can bring him around for dinner anytime soon, but we don't have to go to any extremes over this."

That surprised her as well. Everything the older woman had said surprised her. A part of her had expected her mom to tell her to break it off or else. She hadn't expected that she would actually be on her side. But she was. Sort of. She was more on her side than against her.

"What about Dad?"

Sighing, Veronica shook her head and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Let me handle that. You know how he gets, especially when it comes to you girls." Suddenly, her gaze snapped up to look at Spencer again. "And for god's sake, don't let him find out exactly how…close you and Wren are. That's something he won't handle well, especially right after having found out about the two of you."

Because her and Wren's sex life had been on the top of her list of things she wanted to talk to her father about. Spencer's head shook back and forth, still trying to grasp the fact that her mother had taken the news so gracefully.

"Mom, thank you for being so…"

"Don't thank me, Spencer." Veronica's voice was sharp again as she glared up at her daughter. "I was serious when I said I didn't approve of this."

Something in Spencer's face must have showed how taken aback she was by the harshness of the statement. "Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked Spencer slowly.

Right away, Spencer nodded. "Positive."

This time, Spencer could see her mother fighting to not say anything to upset her. "Okay," was the only answer she gave, nodding slowly as she looked at Spencer. "Just make sure you're careful. Please."

The last word came out sincere, although Spencer wasn't sure exactly what she meant. It could mean be careful not to get pregnant, careful not to flaunt the somewhat taboo relationship in front of people. But she had a feeling that what it really meant was for her to ensure that she didn't let Wren hurt her. Not that he could if he tried.

"I will," she whispered. She stood there for another minute, watching as her mother stared at the computer screen even though she seemed to be a million miles away. "Can I...?'

Sighing again, Veronica nodded. "Go ahead. Just, please remember to be careful."

This time, Spencer just nodded and chose not to answer right then. Making her way to the door, she paused right before she left. "Mom?"

Once again, the older woman looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Thank you." Those two words made Veronica's entire face change. Just like that, her expression was soft and drastically less irritated. Even though the only acknowledgement she gave was a slight nod in Spencer's direction, the younger girl understood what it meant.

Her mother was on her side, even thought she wouldn't admit it out loud. Not only that, but Spencer had managed to get to her before A had. And Veronica would be sure to tell her father, which even though it felt like a cop out on her part, Spencer felt relieved about. The only thing she really had to worry about was Melissa, and she wasn't even too concerned about her for some reason. The only thing she could think about right then was getting back to Wren.

* * *

When she came through the door, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of being home. All of the time she had spent there, the hours they had spent there together, rushed back to her, and just like that she knew she was more comfortable there than at her own house. It was thrilling and funny and a little scary to feel so attached to a place just because of who she knew would be there.

The room was silent when she walked in, and a smile popped up on her face when she saw Wren. He was lying on his back on the couch, a book face down and open on his chest as he slept.

Making sure to remain quiet, Spencer moved across the room, slipping the book from underneath of his hands and setting it on the table without waking him up. And then she was lying down on top of him, aligning their bodies as she wrapped her arms around him.

Underneath of her, she felt his deep intake of breath as he woke up and looked at her blearily. "Spencer?"

"You sleep too much," she teased, making him smile and shrug in a semi-embarrassed way, semi-tired way.

"I'm a busy man. I need my beauty sleep."

Laughing, Spencer rolled her eyes. "Of course you do." She shook her head and looked down at him, loving the way his eyes still showed signs of sleep. Turning her head so she could rest it against his chest, she sighed deeply. Finally, she was where she needed to be.

"How did it go?" As much as she would have liked to, Wren certainly wasn't wasting any time.

This time, Spencer sighed more out of exasperation than regret. "It went as well as it could have gone I guess." Letting her eyes fall shut, she sighed. "It's over now."

"For good?"

"For good."

She felt more then saw his approval in the way his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him. "Good," he muttered. "Are you spending the night?'

"Of course." On second thought, she added, "If that's alright with you."

"Like there was any other option," he answered almost instantly. She smiled, and then a silence fell over them. At first, it was a comfortable silence, something that she was used to, but the longer they went without talking, the more anxious she began to feel.

Of course, they had talked everything over the night before, went through the apologies and all that went with them, but she felt as though she needed to say it all again, if just to make sure he understood. If only she wasn't so comfortable and content with just lying with him.

"How did you feel after last night?"

The words made her even more anxious. This was the part where they talked, where they fleshed out every thing they thought and felt, down to the tiniest emotion or worry. Or that's what she thought anyway.

Trying to keep her voice neutral, she said, "Alright. I had a headache earlier, but it went away once I took something for it."

Maybe there was a way for them to avoid ruining the mood. Why did they have to go through everything again? Even if she had been drunk, she still remembered everything that had happened between them, still meant every word that had come out of her mouth.

Lifting her head, she looked up to find him staring back at her. For a second, they stayed like that, both smiling a little bit at the other. Finally, Wren brushed his hand over her hair and said, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because I love you." The sentence flowed from her mouth without a second of hesitation. It was said before she could even think about it. Although, right away she realized that she had never meant anything more than she meant those words.

"And I love you," he answered quietly, his hands running down her spine until they rested on the small of her back. The look her gave her was unconditional. She knew that he loved her, knew that he would never lie to her about something like that. They weren't going to talk about what had happened the night before, simply because they didn't need to. Once had been enough.

She had almost ruined things between them. Almost. But she hadn't and that was all that mattered. "Can we go to bed now?"

His face looked conflicted, if only for a brief moment. She could see why. It was much too early to be going to bed. And he had just asked the night before that they not sleep together again for a little bit.

But they were going to have sex. It was in the air between them, telling Spencer that he would break his rule just this once. There wasn't anything either of them could do to restrain themselves. It was what they needed.

Finally, Wren smirked and nodded. She was off him instantly, holding out her hand and tugging him towards the stairs without another word. By the time the door clicked shut behind them, Spencer was ready to forget about every bad thing that had happened in the past couple of days.

More specifically, she was ready to let Wren help her forget everything that had happened. She turned around right next to the bed, looking up at him expectantly. As his arms slipped around her waist, he grinned. "Why are you looking at my like that?"

Spencer shrugged and bit her lip with a smile. "Like what?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"I don't!" She almost kept a straight face until she saw the incredulous look he had. "I do," she admitted. "What are you going to do about it?"

And then he was kissing her, his arms tightening around her until their bodies were pressed together. "We weren't supposed to do this," he muttered, his lips moving down her neck.

Spencer smirked. She was going to get her way. From the way his fingers were digging into her sides, and pulling her closer to him she could tell she was going to get her way very soon.

"Tomorrow," he muttered. "Tomorrow we're going to start over."

Spinning them around, she pushed him back onto the bed, straddling him quickly and forcing him to lie down. "Or the next day," she murmured.

"Tomorrow."

This time, her mouth attached itself to the spot beneath his ear that she knew drew him crazy. "We'll see." His hands worked their way under her shirt, pulling it up and over her head quickly. Just as swiftly, his hands found their way into her shorts.

"You're not wearing underwear."

"Because I know how much you like when I don't."

She felt more then saw Wren's grin. "Well, I'm very grateful for that." His hands pushed the material down, rolling them over so he could yank them all the way off. From her new position, she grinned up at him.

"That was smooth."

Wren didn't pay any attention to her, instead sucking lightly on her neck.

Their remaining clothes disappeared just as quickly, and then he was urging her away from the foot of the bed. Inching their way up the bed, she felt like her body was burning, on fire just from the way he was touching as much of her as possible. It was like he was determined to nip and lick and kiss every bare inch of skin he could see on her, and that only served to make her more eager for what was to come.

His weight pressed her down into the mattress, and she began to feel his mouth move lower on her body, between her breasts and over her stomach. But that was not something she had the patience for right then.

He seemed surprised when she caught his hand and tugged him back up to her face; she usually looked forward to that when they were together. But right then all she wanted was to come with him, when she could see his face and he could see hers.

"Stay here." Her voice was low and insistent, her request making him pause in his ministrations. Not for long though. Only seconds later, his lips found hers and then they were right back to where they had started. Before she knew what was happening, his fingers were buried inside of her, stroking and pressing in all the right places until she began to feel the muscles in her stomach tense up in anticipation.

Quickly, her hand shot down and grabbed his wrist, pulling his away from her again. This time, she couldn't help but laugh breathlessly at his confused look. "Not like that," she panted. "I want you inside of me before I…"

That was all it took before his mouth met hers once more, his body hovering above her as he pushed her legs even further open. And then he was pushing into her, just like the first time and the last time and every time in between. She swore there would never be anything else that made her feel so complete.

The way he held her was different. More caring, more intimate. If she had anything to say about it, she would declare he was treating her differently than he had for the majority of their time spent together that summer. It actually reminded her of the beginning, when he treated her like she was innocent and breakable. For a second, it reminded her of Toby, the way he had always treated her like she was made of glass. But only for a second. Then she was pushing Toby out of her mind because there was no room in her head for him anymore. There was only room for Wren.

Their movements were synchronized and rhythmic, familiar in a way that reassured everything she knew to be true about them. "Wren," Her voice shook as she threw her head back. "I need you to…" One of his hands snaked its way between their bodies to find her clit, rubbing against her and making her gasp into his mouth.

It wasn't going to take long to get her off.

Their hands intertwined, coming together on the pillow above their heads as her free hand gripped his back, surely leaving the telltale half moon marks and scratches on his skin with every thrust above her.

When it happened, she came hard, even catching herself off guard with the force of it. She arched off the bed and every muscle in her body tensed. Above her, Wren dropped his head down onto her neck, sucking on the same spot forcefully.

Not long after, he came too, just as hard and as fast as she had. She wound her fingers through the hair at the back of his head, tugging him towards her so she could kiss him roughly, even though he was barely in the state of mind to respond. Just as he was beginning to slow above her, she realized there was no difference in the way he was treating her.

She had been wrong when she thought he was acting differently towards her. This was how it had been all along. Every time they were together, he was always the same with her. This time was no different than any other time before them. She had just never been so keenly aware of it before.

After some time had passed, both of them panting on the bed together, Wren finally found it in him to shift some of his weight off of her. Instantly, she missed the way his body felt on top of hers, the comfort so close to him.

His lips trailed over the skin of her shoulder, light and playful as he nipped at the skin there. Before long, his mouth was on hers, forcing her lips open and pressing their tongues together.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that their entire day was going to be devoted to staying in that very bed and having sex again and again until they were both exhausted. But right then, they needed a second to catch her breath.

"Do you remember how this all started?" she questioned suddenly.

Her question made him grin. "I seem to remember you seducing me on a playground not so long ago."

"I did not seduce you!"

"I believe you did. You put your hand down my pants and then asked to go back to my house. You seduced me."

"I did not! And you know, you could have said no."

Grinning, he shook his head. "No, I don't think I could have." His kissed her softly, but moved away before she could deepen it. "You know, I planned on holding out longer."

"Too bad I was so irresistible, right?"

"Something like that."

Spencer grinned. "And what exactly makes me so irresistible?"

Wren didn't answer right away, instead just looking at her with a serious look on his face. "Everything. Your voice," he finally said. "Especially when you're under me or over me and calling my name." Somehow, he still had the ability to make her blush. "How shy you were at first. Your hair." He twisted a strand her hair around his fingers and grinned. "I find your hair unbelievably sexy. Much like the rest of you." Spencer rolled her eyes jokingly. He was such a charmer. "I like how bossy you are, mainly while we're in bed." Pausing, more for dramatic effect than anything, he grinned and kissed her. His fingers traced over the skin of her side, trailing up and down along her body. "Everything."

"That's a big compliment," she said, grinning.

"Do you want to know what makes you the most irresistible, though?" Just giving her enough time to nod, he leaned in close to her face and rested his head against her forehead. "The way you made me fall in love with you."

Grinning, she kissed him softly. "I love you," she whispered quietly, eager to hear him say it back to her.

"And I love you."

* * *

**A/N: There it is! Hopefully, I'll get the epilogue posted within the next couple of days. Thank you again, everyone, for sticking with this story for so long and don't forget to review!**


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